Computer Whizzles
by noir2107
Summary: Upon discovering the Virtual World, the lives of Jess, Zack, and Alex has been riddled with destruction, love, and new mysteries. When they are forced to choose, among distorted truths and uncertainty, they must either take a risk, or lose their lives.
1. Chapter 1

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Zack, my 15 year old brother asked.

Zack is an underachiever and wanna-be Goth.

"I'm certain! I am a genius you know." My 10 year old cousin, Alex said.

Alex is an egotistical preppy, who thinks that just because he's in my grade (which is 11th), he's the best thing that hit the planet next to Starbucks and McDonalds.

"Well, when you guys are done with your little science project, tell me. Because is if no one else has been able to pull off a true virtual reality game, then what makes you guys think you're so special?"

"Because you've got me." Alex flashes a half-grin.

"It won't be long before we're actually INSIDE Kingdom Hearts! OMG! I can't wait!" Zack squealed in a hysterical, infatuated way.

"But first you have to shut up and hand me that screw driver!" Alex said mockingly, in an equally hysterical, infatuated way.

"I think you should stick around for this Jess. It's almost complete. We've spent our whole Christmas Vacation working on this thing…with thankfully no disruptions from Mom or Dad. It was genius to convince them to go on that Disney cruise to Alaska." Alex did a silent applause.

"Correction. If this thing gets screwed up, and ends up destroying half the house, your spring and summer vacation is on the line, not mine. And lastly, number two, I had nothing to do with Alaska if previous statement happens. I have my own plans. And they don't include cleaning up your mess."

"I love you too!" Again with the sarcasm.

"What's family for?" I smiled warm-heartedly and left the room.

"You know she wants this just as bad as we do." Zack whispered just as I stepped out.

"One more adjustment…time to check the computer. Computer adheres to our new virtual reality software. We're connected to the internet. Let me check to see if everything has the right settings…tweaking…and Voila!

Now, here's a brief explanation of everything we've set up. Just in case anything goes wrong, you need to know how to work this thing. I made it really straightforward for you newbies. It was hard enough to change all the settings and controls on your laptop, so pay attention.

We have the receiver rug, the laser cannon, and receiver plates that are on the wall. Here is the re-programmed Kingdom Hearts 2 disk, which is compatible with the .YXL files-"

"Whoa! You're confusing me…" Zack said.

"The laser cannon is that camera-looking thingy that the bright light comes out of. To beam something into the game, just place the object on the shiny mat, adjust the camera, and press Enter.

Our re-programmed copy of Kingdom Hearts 2 allows us to extract the characters or worlds from the game, and bring them here. Or it can allow us to enter the game, and interact with the characters. I also invented these mini remotes by customizing our Ipod nanos. Just press the center button, and you'll return to the real world. Unfortunately, re-programming our Ipods took up so much space that we won't be able to play music on them anymore."

I think Zack was reaching for the keyboard, because next thing I knew I heard him scowling and Alex preaching that the balance of the world "rests in his hands".

Since Mom and Dad had assigned me as their temporary guardian (more like baby sitter), I decided to stroll in to see what the dweebs were up to.

"Its 4:52am, are you guys finished yet?"

"Now we are." Alex said.

"Alright…so let's experiment. Who are we going to sap in first?" Zack clasped his hands.

"We can't experiment with living things yet! We start off small and work our way up." Alex looked impatient with Zack's immaturity.

Well, I couldn't blame Alex. Sometimes the kid thinks that drenching yourself AXE is a good excuse not to bathe (Oh, and by the way, coming out with AXE disinfecting spray didn't make that situation any better! Thanks a lot AXE for giving guys across America just one more reason not to bathe at least every other day! Thanks!)

"Awww…I thought we were going to sap Jess in."

"Zack, put that cup at the center of the mat." Zack did as Alex asked.

"Here's everyone's protective glasses…" We put on the gear.

"Positioning camera…" Alex muttered.

Alex typed a few more things in then said, "Alright guys, this is it. Here we go!"

"WAIT!" Zack interrupted.

"DUDE! What's your problem?! I told you to go to the bathroom BEFORE the final moment!" Alex yelled.

"No, its not that! Let's do a count-off! You know, like they have for New Years?"

"Is he joking? He's not joking. Did your mom drink while she was pregnant with him?"

"Can we please get this over with already?" I asked.

"Alright. 1.…………2.…………3!"


	2. Chapter 2

-1A blinding, white light consumed the object. After a few seconds, it faded away. Steam, or whatever you want to call it, rose from the receiver plates. The cup was gone. The operation…had been a success?

"Wow…that turned out better than I thought…" Alex scurried about to examine the area.

Zack was speechless. I wouldn't have admitted then…but I was shocked too.

"How amazing was that?! We can do anything now! We can all drop out of school and live in Kingdom Hearts!" He shut up the moment Alex and I looked at him like "Are you serious?".

"Oh, come on guys. You're both too serious all the time."

"With those grades I think you're too relaxed…" Alex added.

"Hey! Shut it overachiever! Just because you think you're the best, you get all the best games before half the world gets them, and you're parents are basically rich and give you everything you want, doesn't mean you're all that! It doesn't mean you have to look down on us middle-class peoples!"

"Zack, its over. It was over a long time ago. He won. Leave it alone." I said sarcastically.

"Some sister you are, siding with the enemy."

"Alright lets give it another go. Except this time, let's try to bring the cup back." Alex said.

We re-grouped by the computer.

"Changing a few settings…and let's go!"

The blinding, bright light returned again, except this time it lasted a little while longer than it was supposed to. There was so much energy the receiver plates too were consumed by the light. Something went wrong, because the laser beam started to smoke, and Zack's laptop automatically shut off and starting releasing smoke itself. When the smoke dissipated slightly around the receiver mat, we saw the cup.

"Hey! It's the cup! You did it Alex! You're a genius!"

Zack was about to run towards the cup but I held him back forcefully.

"Zack, Alex, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

As the smoke thinned, we saw that the cup was not the only thing we had brought back to the real world.

Thirteen, black-cloaked figures stood in the center of our basement. They took off their hoods, and surveyed their new surroundings.

"Where the hell are we?" Larxene said.

"A new world…" The deep voice that caused the hairs on my neck to stand belonged to Xehanhort.

"You mean the real world." Zack slipped.

"Zack, shut up!" Alex and I yelled.

"I made a device for just such an occasion…" Alex ran to the wall behind us, where the security pad was. Before he could finish entering the code, Larxene's kunai knife almost got his finger and managed to destroy the security pad.

"I don't know what you're planning kid, but its not happening!"

"Great job genius. Have any other plans?" I asked.

"Nope. But I did program it so that if it was ever destroyed, the security system would automatically set the digital barrier in place. Even though they are flesh and blood now like we are, they still have a particular code in them that bind them forever to their world only. They can probably hurt us, but they can't leave our yard. Almost like a dog and an electric fence. I'm a genius."

"I didn't like the hurt us part." Zack added.

"You seem very smart young man. How would you like to be one of our scientists, and I promise no harm will come to you."

"I don't make promises with people who break them." Alex was stubborn.

"That was wimpy. I'll tell you all his secrets if you promise not to hurt me!" Zack yelled out.

"Now he whines like a girl…" I muttered. A young man with blond hair that I recognized to be Roxas, laughed at my comment.

"Roxas, put the girl and the one dressed in black in the dungeon." Xehanhort said.

"Um, excuse me sir, we don't have a dungeon in our house." Zack said.

"Do have any similar to a dungeon in this house?"

(Five Minutes Later…)

"Nice going idiot! Now we're locked in the freakin' bathroom! Together!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Tell him I'll give him all my life savings if he get us out of here." Zack whispered.

"And what's that...like 30 cents?"

"Come on! I have to pee!"

"Well, pee out the window..."

"I can't reach that high! Come on!"

"Why does it have to be now? Why, when we're locked in the bathroom, does it have to be now? Didn't Alex tell you to -"

"But I didn't have to go 25 minutes ago!"

"Hey Roxas, can you take my little brother to the upstairs bathroom before he wets himself?"

I heard Roxas shift his weight on the door...for the sixth time since our argument began a half hour ago. Obviously, his tolerance was wearing thin.

"I probably shouldn't... Why doesn't he just use the one you're already in?" He asked.

"If I already don't like hanging out with her, what makes you think being locked in a bathroom with her, when I have to pee really bad is going to make things better?"

"He speaks more intelligently when he feels it necessary to get his point across."

"What is your problem?"

"Alright, I'll take him upstairs. God...you guys have been bickering for the last half hour. Can't you two just get along?"

"We're not answering that." Zack asked. Finally, the only thing we could both agree on.

Before Zack slipped out, he whispered, "Buena suerte." The only phrase he remembered from repeating two years of Spanish 1, "Good luck." And I was going to need it.

"Hey Axel. Can you take this kid upstairs."

"I'm 15 years old, can you people stop calling me kid?! I have a name, y'know!"

"Come on, kid." Axel said.

"Wait! Can you guys show me something! Like one of your powers or something!"

"I thought you had to pee..." Roxas muttered.

"I do, but you guys are like...my idols, and since I'll probably never get a chance like this again, can you -"

"Fine, but shut up already."

_This was my cue to act. _Zack can be such an annoyance sometimes. Though for once it actually worked to our advantage...I knew he'd probably spend another 20 minutes digging into their personal lives and asking them the "hard questions", like "Dude, how do you go to the bathroom in those heavy, black suits? Is there like...a switch in there?". The sad part is...he actually asked me that question...yesterday.

I heard Zack running his mouth in the hallway, and the bad guys seemed to be falling for it. I opened the window slightly, at first, then proceeded to open it very slowly until it opened as far as it could go. I was attempting to slip out, but I guess I did it too quickly...because I hit my head on the small glass shelf above the window, and the blue vase sitting on it came tumbling down with an earsplitting crash.

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" I heard Zack yell from outside.

Forget about slippin' out of the freakin' window, I fell out of that sucker! Then, I bolted for the neighbor's yard. Alex had said that The Organization was like a dog and an electric fence. If they really couldn't step outside our yard, then I knew I would be safe. Just a few feet away...when Roxas appeared out of a swirling vortex of darkness (ooooh, that's my new favorite word...vortex...okay fine, I'll get back to the story...) So there I was, gasping for breath, when Number 13 appeared.

"I don't want to hurt you, so don't make me have to do this the hard way..."

Though his voice was kind, I could see that something deep rested beneath that calm facade. Presenting the perfect opportunity for me to slip away...


	4. Chapter 4

"You have your doubts, don't you? About the Organization?" I prodded, slowly inching towards the outskirts of our yard.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You know who you are, deep down inside, don't you? You just don't want to accept it yet." Another inch.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know who I'm talking about. I'm talking about your other half."

If I could keep this charade up, I knew I'd be able to slowly wiggle my way toward the neighbor's yard. However, I didn't want to tell Roxas, "You know, a little birdie flew by today, and told me you were never meant to exist! Have a great day!", so I tried to aim point blank while still keeping in range of my target. _Just act like you have no idea what he's talking about..._

"How do you know about my dreams?"

"I never said I did..."

"But obviously, you know something about me that I don't."

"How's that possible? I mean, wouldn't Roxas know more about Roxas than anyone else?"

**Alex's POV**

Larxene shoved me into the bathroom, and slammed the door in my face. I seriously believe she has Bipolar Affective Disorder. I turned around, and to my usual dismay, saw Zack.

"I refused to answer some questions, so they sent me to the bathroom."

"You mean the dungeon?"

"You know, you could have chosen the living room. Or the master bedroom. Why the bathroom?"

"Well, when I was four years old --"

"Okay, I managed to get a hold of the Ipods! If I can reprogram them and alter their frequency, then maybe we can send them back!"

"Maybe? You mean they're stuck with us for the rest of our vacation?! I didn't even get a chance to do half the stuff on my list!"

"What list? I didn't know you made lists."

"Like, my party list...remember?"

"Oh, yeah... Who would come?"

"YO MAMMA."

"Dude, that expression's older than you. Stop saying it. Do you want them to leave or not?"

"At least I don't say 'dude' every hour of the day..."

"Where's Jess?"

"She escaped, and left us here to die..."

"That's genius!"

"What are you saying now, baby Einstein?"

"Look, these Ipods don't have a lot of power, but I made them so they're almost like mini-computers. All Jess has to do is activate the virtual reality program that's on your computer from her location. That will in turn, activate all the equipment as well. Once, the network is up and running, we'll somehow trap them all in the basement, and sap them back into the game!

"But if she's not on my computer, how can she activate it? How are we going to get them into the basement? And the equipment broke, remember?"

"Zack?"

"Yes?"

"Am I a genius?"

"I don't like where this is going... I'm already enough of a jackass, why can't you people leave me alone?"

"If you help me, I'll give you $20."

"Deal. Where do we start?"

**(Author Note: Here's this week's two new chapter additions. I plan on submitting two chapters per week, so be on the lookout for new material. Just want to remind you that a week is seven days long, not a school week. So please be patient. Merci beaucoup!)**


	5. Chapter 5

"Who's that cute guy standing in your yard?" Becky, my next door neighbor and sort-of-best friend, asked.

"Let's just go inside."

"You look washed out. Are you feeling okay? Is this about AP Exams?" Becky put her hand on my forehead, but I brushed it away. I know she was just trying to be nice.

"Can we go to your room? I have something really important to talk about. And...I need to use your internet. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Mom, we're going upstairs!" I ran upstairs and burst into her room. I remembered doing that plenty of times when we were kids.

"What's wrong with you? Are you sure you're okay? Usually, you have like a 10 minute conversation with my Mom before we actually go upstairs..."

"My brother and my cousin need help."

"Are they okay? I'll get the phone."

"No! 911 is not going to help." I let out a deep sigh, and gripped onto her desk for support.

"I know its going to sound crazy, but you're probably the only one I can trust with this information. Please believe me, no matter how insane it sounds." She sat on her bed with her hands clenched together, attentive and absorbed in every word that was about to come out next.

**Zack's POV**

"How much longer is this going to take?" I leaned against the bath tub, hands behind my head, staring up at white ceiling.

"Be patient." Alex was consumed in his little project. I didn't understand all that technical stuff then, and I still don't now.

"I'm hungry..."

"You're always hungry. What's new?"

"There!" Alex blurted out. "Hey, Zack, here's the Ipod. Point it at that bar of soap on the counter, then press the center button."

I did what he said. The white flash illuminated the room, then faded away. I had shielded my eyes, but everything seemed fuzzy and spotty anyway. When I recovered, the bar of soap was gone.

"Whoa...what happened?" I asked.

"It worked, that's what happened." Alex and I froze and looked at eachother for a second.

"I hope Jess is going to log on soon. We still have to find a way to lure them back to the basement. I wish we could just sap them back into the game, but the Ipods wouldn't have enough power to sap all of them back in. That's why we have to activate the equipment, to do it all in one shot." Alex said.

"How are we going to contact her?"

"Remember I said that the Ipods were like mini computers? We'll connect to the wireless network, and contact her that way."

**End**

"Are you high? What were you doing with that guy in your yard?"

"Can I get on your internet?"

"I'm already on. But, getting back on topic, I don't believe you."

I pulled up a picture of Roxas from google. "Compare the guy in this pic, to the guy in my yard. What do you think now?"

As she gawked at the picture in fascination and shock, I received an IM.

"Alex? But how did he? Oh, right, he's a genius..." I muttered.

**Alex: Activate the virtual reality program on Zack's computer.**

**Me: How?**

**Alex: I'll walk you through it.**

**Zack: Can you bring me back some food?**

**Me: ...What were you saying Alex?**

_Alex stepped me through the whole procedure. As I pulled up programs and documents I didn't even know existed, Becky's eyes got wider and wider...until it looked like they were about to pop out of her head. Then, came the hysteria._

"You guys are playing some trick on me. Come on, game's over now. You can stop pulling my leg."

"Becky, it's not a trick."

"But that guy in your yard...and the guy in the picture...it's just not possible."

"Becky, as long as my cousin is here, get used to the impossible."


	6. Chapter 6

**Me: Are you sure you can handle them by yourselves?**

**Zack: Awww...she cares...**

**Me: Shut up Zack.**

**Alex: Don't worry - we have a plan.**

**Zack: We do?**

Alex's POV

"So you've finally decided to surrender?" Xehanhort bore into my green eyes, then drummed his fingers frustratedly on the dining room table (their new meeting place).

"I'll help you destroy Sora." The drumming ceased, and a dark smile played on his lips.

"Good. Very good. But I wonder...what changed your mind? ...Choose your words carefully." The room went silent, and everyone turned to hear my answer.

"Why side with the losing team? The friend of the victor who enjoys the spoils enjoys the spoils as well. I'm not doing it for the Organization. This is merely...a self-interest thing."

"Perhaps you'll become a valuable asset to the Organization." Xehanhort tried placing his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged away. He chuckled slightly.

"I'm joining too!" Zack blurted.

"You may not be as useful...but Larxene has always wanted a pet..." Zack visibly cringed.

"We'll all need to go to the basement. All my tools are there."

"Why do all of us have to go?" Luxord asked.

"Because...if I summon Sora and only one of you are there, he may be too powerful to contain. He could easily destroy you all...one by one. If all of you are there, there's no chance of that happening. According to my data, he's become increasingly stronger. Plus, in our galaxy, time and space are very different from time and space in your galaxy. A few days here, could mean months or years in your worlds. All that time to get more and more powerful... And if he's already joined forces with Riku, then you're definitely screwed."

"Okay, I get it! Let's go..." Luxord said.

As we all shuffled downstairs into the basement, I overheard Larxene and Xehanhort talking.

"Shouldn't we test his loyalty? Kill the stupid one to see if he's lying?" Larxene prodded.

"Standing right here!" Zack yelled.

"What kind of harm can a mere boy do?"

"You said that about Sora too. Look at the harmless little boy now. He's already managed to thwart most of our plans."

"Are you gonna take that? She's questioning your authority. Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Zack added.

"Stop questioning me Larxene." Xehanhort said.

"That, that stupid boy is interfering in our conversation!"

"Now she's trying to distract you from the main issue here." Zack added slyly.

"I doubt that an ordinary boy can do a lot of damage."

**15 minutes later...**

Equipment activated. Connecting Ipod to Camera. Repairing Holes in Virtual Reality system. Re-positioning camera. Zack's doing the distracting, which he's best at anyway. By the time Zack was done telling his story, he had positioned them all perfectly on the mat...mainly because they were all trying to move away from him.

**Recap of Bathroom-IM-ing Scene:**

**"Zack, when I tap my foot 5 times, that's your cue to move to away from them and the camera. I don't care where you move. Just make sure that when I set it off, you're not anywhere near them or the camera. **_**In other words, you better make sure your ass is on the other side of the room."**_

**End of Recap**

"Are you finished yet?" Larxene barked impatiently.

I tapped my foot 5 times. Zack didn't get it. Another five times. Zack looked at me like, "What the hell are you doing?" I cleared my throat. No response.

"Zack! A FEW TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, CAN YOU COME **HERE** FOR A MOMENT!"

"Oh, sure." He casually strolled over, like having video game characters in your basement was the norm.

"Get down!" I yelled, hitting the button. A blinding white beam emerged from the camera and engulfed the room with light. If we hadn't ducked our heads and closed our eyes tightly, the effect the receiver mats created would have been the equivalent to having 1000 flashlights beamed at your face.

After a minute and a half, we emerged from the darkness in our heads to find an empty room. I slowly got up, and went to look at the Ipod's screen. It read, "Transaction Complete."

"Did we do it?" Zack asked, still crouched in the fetal position.

"Yeah...I think it's over..." I skipped over to the receiver mats to see the results of our data.

"Wow, nothing exploded in my face yet... The last time that happened I broke out in this horrible -"

"Don't need to hear your life story."

"What's that beeping sound?"

"What?" I asked. Then, I heard it. It was coming from the camera...the self-destruct program I had installed...

"Shield your head!" It exploded, and bits of camera went scattering everywhere.

"We have a lot of cleaning up to do." I added.

"I hate cleaning..." Zack muttered.


	7. Chapter 7

**December 31, New Years Eve**

Problem resolved.

Parents return home.

Heartless and Nobody insignas, as well as black decor, removed from house.

Zack sold Larxene's kunai knives on ebay and made a huge profit, but that didn't last long. The kid has an insatiable hunger for burning money.

Dropped Alex off at the airport this morning. He's flying back to California as I write this.

Before his departure, we all made a promise...:

_"No more experiments. No more virtual reality stuff. No more defying the laws of science. Agreed?" Alex's bag landed with a thud on the cold, marble floor of the Laguardia Airport. _

_We sat on the benches to avoid human traffic, overlooking a hot orange sunset. Across the vast square, my Mom picked up a fresh copy of __**Allure**__ Magazine from the newstand, while my Dad frisked up the latest edition of __**Time **__Magazine. A few squealing kids from the arrival flight shuffled past us toward their Mom, and flew eagerly into her arms._

_"Well, it's mostly YOU, not us..." Zack mumbled. I elbowed him in the arm._

_"Agreed?" Alex asked again._

_"Agreed, right Zack?" _

_"Whatever. See you in August." Zack muttered._

_"Oh, yeah! That's right! You're transferring to our school, here in New York... I bet you're going to miss that prestigious school you attend in California A LOT. Why come here to attend a public school?" I asked._

_"Well, my parents want to be closer to family. Plus, they like the suburbs here in New York. They keep saying the fast pace of the city isn't good for our health. They also think that your school has more to offer, as far as extra curricular activities are concerned. New York State is known for its rigorous exams, so I'll see how it goes. Plus, we'll be living three houses away..."_

_**"Gate 12. Departure Flight for California has arrived. Seats 1A through 20A may board." **_

_"Well, that's my cue." _

_We all hugged Alex, and watched him walk to the gate to board his flight. He gave us one last wave, then proceeded to walk through the winding, dim tunnel._

_"You guys had fun, right?" Mom asked, picking a piece of fuzz off my blue blouse._

_"You don't even know the half of it." Zack replied. I gave him an evil glare while Mom's back was turned. He only did what he always does: shrug._

**The End (crosses out) The beginning?**


	8. Chapter 8

"New books! New clothes! New binders! A new school year!"

'I. Hate. School."

"Seriously, I have to agree with Zack. If you get any more hyped, I'll have to officially relinquish my claim of any relation to you."

We shuffled into the bustling school halls. The usually dull, gray marble floors gleamed. Freshman gabbed about the girl who - being known for never making a decent effort in her life - suddenly went from drab to fab. Let's not forget the hot guy that got even hotter over the summer - probably by working out and baking under an excruciatingly hot summer sun. Everyone had a new identity...

(except Zack. Zack looks the same and does the same things every year: sleeping in class and barely scraping by. Honestly, how does he do it?)

I opened my dusty, discolored lime green locker, and placed a few books inside.

"Don't worry, Zack. He'll get over the "new". We all did. I'll see you guys later. Oh, and Zack, Mom told me to tell you that if you slack off in your classes, look forward to NO TV or Internet."

"That's what she always says. Besides, what makes her think I listen to you?"

"She'll also make me your tutor." Alex, coughThe11YROLDcough added.

"Awrighty, then! I'm gonna go to class, and I'll see you two at lunch!" Zack scurried off.

"That got him...ha. See you at lunch Alex." We went our separate ways.

**Before we go on, its time for a brief overveiw. 8 months have passed. Me: still 16 because my birthday is in October. Alex: 11 years old. Zack: 16 years old. Have a great day!**

5th Period Lunch

Zack bought pizza. I bought a sandwich and an apple. We found Alex sitting at a table by the window overlooking the dumpster, and carried our trays over. Like chirping birds scrambling to their nests, crowds wiggled their way through the cafeteria and settled at tables.

"You should really re-think what you eat, Zack. A healthy meal makes a healthy mind." Alex suggested.

"My school. My rules."

"Didn't you have something important to talk to us about Alex?" I asked.

"Yeah...you guys remember that virtual reality program, right?"

'Yeah...and how it fried my laptop?" Zack popped a pepperoni into his mouth.

"I know we made a promise. But over the summer, I fixed the glitches that were in the program..."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked.

"Let's give it another shot." Alex cracked his knuckles and grinned.

"Are you crazy?" I replied.

"That would be insane! In a good way, of course!" Zack beamed, and high-fived Alex.

"No, not good. Very bad. What if the Organization had actually gotten out of our house?! And our yard?! Do you know what kind of mess we'd have on our hands?"

"Sheesh, could you get any more uptight? That would've been awesome..." I looked at Zack like he was nuts, not like I had any reason to...the kid's already off his rocker.

"Relax. This time will be different." Alex assured.

"So, now the question is when." Zack muttered.

"Parent-Teacher Conference Day is a week from today. I know for a fact our parents won't be getting back home until 12:00 am. Plus, we have a half day. Plenty of time."

"Hey, guys! Whatcha doin'? This must be Alex! Great to meet you! Hey, Zack!" For some strange reason, Becky's always so mellow during holidays and long vacations, but at school she's a high-strung gossip girl, infamous for making drama.

"Umm, hey Becky. Didn't see you there..." I said.

"Hey Becky." Zack said it in a slow, infatuated way. Ever since last year, Zack's had a thing for her.

"So...whatcha guys talking about?"

"Umm, Zack was talking about how bad the pizza is." Alex replied.

"Yeah, its so thin now..." Zack added.

"Oh...I see. Well, I just wanted to welcome the newbie. See you in US (US History) Jess!" Becky floated off to a nearby table.

"She's so hot..." Zack said dreamily.

"I hear she's a Spanish tutor, and an English tutor. Why not do well in school while getting to know her better?" I asked.

"As if. You're her best friend. Why don't you help your little bro out and hook him up?"

"But she's a senior." Alex interrupted.

"I like older women." Zack replied.

"Can we talk about this later? The bell's gonna ring any minute now." I said.

The bell rang at 11:40 am. As we threw out our lunches, huge crowds of people abandoned their tables and poured out of the room to their next class. We grabbed our bags and headed toward the exit.

"So, in a week I'll see you guys at my house." Alex said.

"Ok." Zack and I said at the same time.

"See you guys later."

Once again, we went our separate ways...


	9. Chapter 9

**After the Parent Conference Meeting and during our time off, we decided to enter the virtual world. The only place we could access was Deep Jungle. Originally, I was against going. But since Zack and Alex were so enthusiastic about it, I went along with them. At first, everything was okay. **

**The virtual world seemed so real and beautiful. Under the lush green canopy of trees, the sun's gentle amber rays warmed our skin. The forest was a symphony of sounds. Tropical birds huddled in groups and basked under the sun's pleasant glow. Gorrillas could be heard swinging on trees above the forest floor. Alex gathered samples of plants and insects to test in the real world, Zack swung on vines, and I closed my eyes, reveling in the peacefulness of it all. I started thinking that maybe Zack was right. Dropping out of school and coming to live in the virtual world wouldn't be so bad...**

**Of course, that was until we ran into trouble.**

**"DUCK!" Zack cried.**

We hit the ground as a two jumping Heartless missed our heads by mere inches.

Zack grabbed Alex and I and we started running up a small path through the vast maze of twisted vines and tree limbs, the monkey Heartless hot on our heels. After about half a mile, with the Heartless still in pursuit, Alex began slowing down.

"Keep moving, shortie!" Zack yelled. The Heartless were only yards away. As we rounded the corner on the windy path, I stretched one of the tree limbs back and let go, hearing the creature cry in agony as it snapped back.

Seconds later when I caught up to Zack and Alex, I saw that Zack was carrying Alex on his back.

"The kid's legs are too short." Zack reasoned.

"Didn't we bring any weapons with us?" I asked Alex.

"Uh...no. Plus the watches are malfunctioning, so we can't just zip back home. I need to fix them!" Alex replied.

"Great! And how long will that take? A century?" Zack added agitatedly.

"Patience is a virtue." Alex said in a sing-song voice.

"...Not unless you want us to leave you here..." I added.

We could see that the path was ending, because just ahead there appeared to be a cliff. I ran ahead of Zack and Alex, but must've misjudged the distance, because I couldn't slow down fast enough. Before I knew what was happening, the land broke loose, and I went tumbling down into the massive ditch below.

"We'll meet you down there!" Zack yelled, as crawled to my feet.

"Watch out! Overhead!"

My brother and cousin dodged just in time, avoiding a monkey Heartless swinging on a vine overhead.

But my troubles were just beginning.

Two Heartless cast off from the group and cascaded down the hill. I could almost feel my heart beat out of my chest - could see the bloody scrapes and gashes on my knees. But any pain I felt faded into an intense adrenaline rush as my body got upright and my legs started moving. My mouth turned dry and salty, as I heard the sickening screeches of the Heartless behind me.

All I could think...was that the End was coming. I thought I might never see my brother or parents again. I looked behind me, oblivious to the fact, that I was on a dangerous collision course with someone/something in front of me.

I rammed into the person/thing in front me, and slammed to the ground. _Hard. _Like getting-hit-by-a-truck hard. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Heartless pounce... I cringed, bracing for the pain.

But instead, I heard the wind of a swift blade, and looked up to find that the Heartless gone. My eyes slowly followed the tip of the black blade...to the strong hand and the muscular arm...finally resting on the neck and the face. I squinted painfully to see, but when my vision finally adjusted, I was taken aback.

_The stormy grey, shoulder length hair...the sea blue eyes...this could only be one person. He helped me up._

"What's a girl doing out here?" He asked.

"Riku...?" I wondered, awe-struck.

"They're back! Let's go!" He yanked my wrist, and we started running.

I heard the Heartless screeching behind me. My heart started its frantic racing again. I closed my eyes, and tried to convince myself that I was dreaming. I would wake up any moment now, and everything would be fine.

But of course, I didn't wake up. I looked around as we sprinted across the jungle floor, searching for Alex and Zack, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Are you prepared to jump?" Riku asked.

"What?" I looked ahead to see what he was talking about. A steep cliff awaited us...and suddenly, I felt very woozy.

The only time I remember feeling THAT woozy was when Zack forced me to go on NITRO at Six Flags.

"There's a cliff ahead, and there's no other way out."

I gulped. The salty-dryness returned to my mouth again.

The screeching behind us got louder and closer. Riku turned and slashed at two Heartless that had gotten too close, destroying them both. Then caught up with me.

"We're going to jump off that cliff. I'm going to open a rip portal while we're still in mid-air. We've gotta get out of here!"

"I'm not a huge fan of heights--"

"Just trust me!"

We leapt off the cliff, plunging into the space below. It took all the strength I had to keep from passing out, though the jump alone was probably enough to kill me. He opened a rip portal, and we entered the flowing darkness. I shut my eyes tightly, entering into my own darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: PLEASE READ. This Chapter sums up events that occurred prior to the gang entering the Deep Jungle in Chapter 9. **

**Zack's POV**

"If someone told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?"

"I might." I replied to Mrs. Anders, my Spanish teacher. Her eyes slanted in aggravation.

"Zack, I really don't know what to do with you. You're clearly not doing you're homework. You're not studying, if this persists I'm going to have to contact your parents." She shook her head in disappointment, and walked back to her desk.

Hoping to get some nap-time in, I put my head back on the desk and closed my eyes.

"Hey Mrs. Anders! I was just passing by and thought I might drop in!"

I could recognize that voice from anywhere! And I knew it belonged to a hot junior named Becky. I shot up in my seat.

"Hey ." I greeted.

"Oh, hey Zack! Jess told me you need a tutor!"

"She did?! Why would she -"

"Talk to me about it so we can make some kind of schedule. Well, I gotta go! Great seeing you Mrs. Anders."

"See you later!" I added, as she skipped down the hall.

"_Why would my sister--for once in her life--do something with the intention of helping me?"_

**5th Period Lunch **

"What did you do?" I questioned suspiciously, as Alex and Jess nonchalantly took their seats at the lunch table.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jess replied.

"Yes you do."

"No, really. What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Why would you tell Becky that I need Spanish lessons?"

"Because you do." She casually took a bite out of her ham sandwich.

"You know I like her." I whispered.

"Yeah, so what?" She made a slurping sound through her straw as she sucked a cup of Sprite dry. Alex dipped his cheesy chicken quesadilla in salsa, and took a huge, satisfying bite out of it. A few junior girls waved hello to him as they passed.

"Hey, guys! I'll be right back, they're waiting for me." Alex slipped out and casually strode over to a table of junior and senior boys and girls.

"God…they're like a gang of Abercrombie freaks." I muttered.

"You're just jealous." Jess took another bite of her sandwich.

"Jealous?! The kid just moved here, and he already has a posse! We don't have a posse!"

"Wrong. Hey Tyler!" She motioned over to 16 year old, tall and hot (not my personal opinion--cough--), Tyler Perris - the guy who tutors her in Math and the guy Becky is trying to fix her up with.

Tyler and his friends waved back. Then Tyler mouthed, "come over here."

Tyler is the superintendent's son. Back in our elementary and middle school days, he used to get me into a lot of trouble for things I had nothing to do with.

I know for a fact he's liked my sister since the 3rd grade. Years ago when he asked me if I could set him up with her, I told him to go **-Beep-** himself.

Tyler and I just don't get along.

"Well, getting back on topic. I can't believe you told Becky I need a Spanish tutor!"

"Well, you do need help. What else did you think I'd say?"

"I can't believe you'd do that for me. Thanks--" But I was interrupted...

Tyler dropped by.

"Hey Jess...Hello Zackary." He used a formal tone whenever he greeted me--probably to stress his mutual hate for me.

"Hello Tyler --" I replied, but Jess cut me off this time.

"How was your summer? We're dying to hear!" Jess burst happily.

"Yeah...I really don't care." I said, getting up when Tyler added:

"Why is goth-boy here anyway?"

"Look, just don't drool all over her, okay?"

"Zack --" Jess began, but I pushed her comment aside.

"See ya!" I got up and dodged out of the cafeteria.

**As Alex, Jess, and I were walking home…**

"Zack, what's your problem?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tyler, lunch 5th period, what was that all about?"

"You know I don't like him."

"At least you could be civil about it, instead of making a huge deal out of it."

"You should tell him that."

"What is your problem? Your dislike of Tyler doesn't have anything to do with him and I!"

"I'm your brother! I know a bad guy when I see one! **Point #1:** I hate him. He hates me. **Point #2:** I know you consider me your annoying, slacker brother who doesn't care about anything, but trust me, this guy isn't right for you. There's just something that's not right about him, and I don't like it."

"That's not good enough reason." Jess insisted.

"I think so."

"If you two stop bickering, maybe we can talk about more important matters." Alex interrupted.

"What's up?" Jess asked.

"Look at the school calendar. On open-house night we're supposed to have a day off. Look's like that's changed."

Alex handed Jess the school calendar, and we both looked at it, astonished. The day of our experiment was now moved to one day ahead of time, and we had a full day of school.

"The school rarely switches its days like that." I remarked.

"Which only means we'll have to improvise. I've come up with a new plan. I'm going to play sick kid, to get out of going to school. My parents will be at work, so that'll give me the whole day to devote making preparations. You guys will go to the attendance office, and give them a written note that says you have to leave 3rd period...because of a doctor's appointment. At 3rd period, you'll leave and come by my house. By that time, everything will be ready."

"How are you going to fake being sick when you can't even lie your deaf grandma?" Zack asked.

"And where are we going to get doctor notes from our parents?" Jess added.

"Bring me a sample of your Mom or Dad's handwriting, and leave the rest to me."

Jess and I shrugged our shoulders.

"You'd better know what you're doing Alex." Jess added.

A chilly wind flew by, scattering red and yellow leaves everywhere...


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Continuing where the story left off in chapter nine...**

**Alex's POV**

"Where can she be?" Zack sighed, and dangled his arm on a nearby tree branch. We back-tracked, but no trace of Jess could be found.

"I don't know, but we have to get back to the real world as soon as possible. Parents...remember?"

"I hate to admit this...but we can't just leave her behind."

"Of course not. She has the watch, doesn't she?"

"Well, yeah. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"As long as the watch receives a signal, she'll be able to get back home. No matter where she is."

"Hey Alex, didn't you come here with your watch too?" Zacked nodded at my wrist.

"Of course, its...where is it?" _I swear I had it on before those Heartless started chasing us..._

"Maybe you dropped it somewhere along the way."

"No, we back-tracked. If I dropped it, we would've definitely found it by now! Zack, we've got to find it! If someone else finds it, then --"

"Look, our parents are gonna be home in 30 minutes! We don't have time!"

"You're right. But if that device falls into the wrong hands...then the whole world could be at stake..."

**Jess' POV**

**Drip drip drip drip**

_Stop it._

**Drip drip drip drip.**

_Go away._

**"Has she awakened yet?" **

**"Hardly, she's muttering nonsense." **

_Who's there?!_

**"Roxas, I think she's waking up."**

I opened my eyes to the rusty, iron bars of a prison cell. My head felt damp and cold. The drip must've been coming from the ceiling. On the other side of the cell, stood Roxas and Axel.

"I thought she'd never wake up!" Axel whined.

"Inform the Superior that the prisoner has awaken." Roxas ordered.

"Don't have too much fun without me." Axel smirked, and vanished into a rip portal.

"Don't worry, he's not as bad as he seems."

"Where am I? One minute I was with Riku, the next..."

"You're in The World that Never Was..."

"Oh no! Mom's gonna kill me if I'm not home by -- where's the watch?" Roxas stared at me, not saying a word.

"Roxas...where's the watch?"

"The Superior has it now...you and your friends should've never come here."

"Roxas, stop mumbling foolishness." Roxas immeadiately bowed. An ominous figure stepped out of the darkness...

"Don't worry Jess, I've got everything under control. It'll be like nothing ever happened to you." She smiled.

She had the same voice as me.

She was wearing the same clothes as me.

And she was wearing the watch.

She was...ME?!


	12. Chapter 12

**Jess' POV**

"Okay, what just happened?!"

"Vexen used your DNA to create a clone of you. They plan to use your brother and cousin to locate Sora. Then, eventually, infiltrate the real world."

Roxas leaned against the cell bars, arms crossed.

"This is all my fault..." I looked out the cell window at the dark nothingness.

"Don't blame yourself."

"What am I going to do? I have no way of warning them... She took the watch." I turned back to him. He took a deep breath.

"Its never too late."

"Its never too late for what? She already took the watch! That was my only way back..."

Roxas started walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"Your watch wasn't the only one the Superior took."

**Zack's POV**

"Hey Zack, can I talk to you for a second?" As usual, Becky popped out of nowhere at lunch.

I took a deep breath, and tried to act normal.

"Sure, Becky. What's up?" She pulled me into a secluded corner, away from the table.

"Is your sister not feeling well or something? She hasn't been responding to any of my calls...and she even hung up on me."

"Maybe its just that time of the month, you know? Its probably nothing serious."

"Oh, okay. I just wanted to ask someone who knows her best."

"No problem." I shrugged. She smiled at me. I cleared my throat.

"So, uh...are you busy this friday night?"

"Hey Becky! We're selling tickets for the bakesale this period, remember?!" A member of OperationDonation yelled across the cafeteria.

Becky turned back to me. I swear, it felt like my heart had come up into my throat.

"You should probably go. There's only 10 minutes left in the period, not much time..." I muttered, trying to sound positive.

"I'll give you a call tonight." She smiled, and scurried off.

I retreated back to the table and sat down.

"No sarcastic remark?" I asked Jess.

For a second, I swear she narrowed her eyes at me, then resumed eating her pizza and smiled.

"I'm very happy for you!" She burst with overstated joy.

I stopped chewing.

Alex stopped slurping.

We stared at her.

"What's the matter?" She smiled.

"Something's clearly not right." Alex muttered.

I saw her fingers slowly squirm for the metal fork beside Alex.

"Maybe she has a fever." Alex said.

She quickly dropped her hand to her side. Alex didn't even see it.

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure...?" I asked.

"Definitely."

_Was Becky right?_

**Later that day, when we were walking home...**

"So Jess, have you and Becky got anything planned for this weekend?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, you guys usually have SOMETHING going on..." I added.

"I'm not too sure."

"How long have I known Tyler Perris? Since which grade?" I asked quickly.

"Um --"

"Well that's a stupid question to ask! We all know you've known him since 3rd grade..." Alex muttered.

"Alex! I wanted her to answer the question! Nevermind, maybe I'm just imagining things..."

"Imagining what, Zack?" Jess asked.

"Its nothing. Nothing at all.."

_Something's not right...and I'm going to find out what._


	13. Chapter 13

**Becky's POV (surprise!)**

Okay, I've never told Jess this, but I have a hunch that something is up. Ever since their cousin moved here from California, they've been acting weird. Like when Zack and Jess had a doctor's appointment for example: I heard that Alex was sick, but then Zack and Jess suddenly go missing? I mean, maybe its my imagination. But they were all fine the day before…and then all three of them go missing? Everyday they're huddled at that little table in the corner at lunch, consumed in their secretive conversations…acting all weird when I stop by. Ever since their genius cousin came around, its like Jess and Zack have been disappearing everyday! What are they doing? Where are they going? Ever since that weird incident with the blond guy in her yard and the beginning of the school year, Jess has not once made plans to sleep over, or have study sessions, or anything! Maybe its just me.

But the other day I got this weird call…I guess the reception was pretty bad because it was all fuzzy and stuff. I kept saying "Hello, hello", but it was like the person on the other end couldn't hear me.

They said,

"…Rep…COM…Vexen!…a copy…"

**Zack's POV**

"So Alex, what's up that you had to call me at 1:00 am in the morning?"

A very tired me was on the verge of reaching through the phone to strangle this kid. Maybe he can invent something like that…it'd make all our lives so much easier.

"An emergency call was made from the watch 10 minutes ago."

"I didn't know we could make phone calls back to the real world using the watch?"

"It's a feature of the watch that can only be used in case of emergencies. I only had it installed in my watch. I'm surprised that it worked out, I didn't get a chance to test it…"

"Well, little Einstein that sounds great, but why are we talking at 1:00am? Have you ever heard of a thing called 'sleep'?"

"We need to discuss this. You and jess meet me at my house in 3 hours."

"It's Saturday morning…" I mumbled.

The moon was still out. Honestly, I don't know about you, but who wakes up at 1:00 am on a Saturday morning? Unless you do a sport, like those Track people…

"Zack!"

"Whatever."

I wondered why we weren't talking anymore, then realized I'd hung up.


	14. Chapter 14

**Alex's POV**

"I traced the call. It came from Traverse Town." I paced.

Jess yawned. Zack looked like he was drugged, dozing off in my blue, bean bag chair- the newest edition to the lab!

"So whoever made that call is still in Traverse Town?" Jess expressed great interest.

"I don't know. But I do know that the call was made to Becky."

"Who would call Becky?" Zack perked up, apparently. They both huddled around me, quizzical looks on their faces.

**(Author's Note: Only expect Alex to bring out the English dictionary lol. If you don't know what quizzical means, it means 'puzzled, curious, etc…'. Computer Whizzles - Your Source for new vocab words every week )**

"There's only one explanation. The Organization must have gotten my watch, and are now using it to try to take over the real world. They might even be trying to manipulate Becky, to get closer to us."

Zack's face lit up like he remembered something. His eyes flashed over to Jess, as though he were wary to say it. I assumed he gave up because he immediately slumped back into his chair.

"Can they get back to the real world…using the watch?" Jess muttered.

"The watch has a limited charge on it. I couldn't explain to you guys before, but I figured that since we weren't going to be in the virtual world for long, that it would be pointless. The longer the watch is in the virtual world, the more charge it needs; just like how a cell phone expends energy when its on or being used.

Chances are that, being that the watch has been in the virtual world for almost a week now, the charge is very low. There's no way the organization would be able to come here, unless they found a massive power source to energize the watch. But it would take a while for the watch to regain a full charge.

Besides, I highly doubt The Organization knows the secret password. In order to open the re-charge program for the watch, you have to enter a special password. I created the program as a safety measure, so that once the watch went dead no one could re-charge it and use it to come here." I took a deep breath.

"That's a good thing. I was beginning to worry…" Jess smiled.

"What's the password?!"

"My favorite food. I was in a hurry, so I couldn't think of anything better. Besides, no one in the virtual world knows what it is. Its not like they have Spanish food there…" I shrugged.

**The Real Jess' POV**

"This stupid thing isn't working! I give up!" I threw the watch on the bed.

"Let me see." Roxas lightly picked the device up, and sat on the bed, rolling it over in his hands.

I sat on the other side of the bed, and joined my back to his so that we leaned against one another.

"Just as confused as me?" I asked, when I heard him scowl.

"Maybe even more." He let out a chuckle, and I felt him lean his head against mine.

We had found a relatively anonymous motel on the outskirts of Twilight Town. After Roxas stole back the watch and hijacked a Heartless ship, we went to Traverse Town. Once there I used the watch to contact Zack in the real world, and accidentally ended up calling Becky. The call was so fuzzy I couldn't hear anything on the other end…I don't even know if she heard me. We abandoned the Heartless ship at Traverse Town (to lead The Organization off our trail), bought disguises, and boarded a train for Twilight Town. And now we're here, in a one-room rental (all he could afford, my money was void anyway…), trying to make the stupid piece of junk Alex invented to work.

"Hey, you wanna take a walk with me?" I knew Roxas was grinning on the other side.

"My mom told me to never go anywhere with strangers…" I teased.

"Well, I think I deserve a 'you're welcome' gift."

"What kind of 'you're welcome' gift? I'm tired…" I mumbled. He looped his arms through mine, and turned his head as if to whisper in my ear.

"Just one, little, pleasant stroll through the woods." His warm breath on my ear…expelled all thoughts of Tyler or any real-world guy from my mind.

"Are all virtual guys this…this…"

"This what?" (warm-breath-on-ear-again)

I was about to say it, when the watch started beeping out of control. Roxas and I parted backs, and I grabbed the watch.

"What's the matter with that thing?"

"I don't know! It just-" I shrugged. Suddenly, a message flashed on the ipod-size screen.

**Low Battery…Low Battery…Low Battery…**

"What are we supposed to do?" Roxas was the first one to speak.

"There has to be a way to recharge this thing. But we don't have any cables or anything."

"We need some kind of electrical current, to pass through a circuit, right?"

"Um…yeah…?" Was he this smart in Kingdom Hearts? Since when did he rank with Alex? And since when are guys hot and smart, without the cockiness, perversion, and anti-sociability? **Maybe its only my school. **I think I stared at him dumbfounded for 10 seconds.

"Um, hello?"

"Oh, yeah! Right, you were saying…"

"Is there some kind of opening that'll allow the current to pass through?"

I turned the watch over in my hand and saw a small opening. Similar to the one for my cell-phone where I could insert the charger. Roxas walked over to the bedside lamp, and detached the power cable from the outlet in the wall. Using Oathkeeper, he sliced the power cable in half, detaching it from the lamp. He plugged the outlet back in, and handed me the exposed cable.

"Put it in, see if it works."

I put the end that had the exposed metal, into the small slot.


	15. Chapter 15

**Jess' POV**

"Maybe it needs a stronger current."

"Maybe I should throw it out the window."

Roxas picked up the watch I had tossed on the floor, and placed it between us on the bed. He removed the plug from the outlet, and stared at it in his hands, rubbing his thumb on the smooth, flat side of the metal.

"What's on your mind?" He looked the way Alex looks when he's playing chess, consumed in thought.

"Stand back."

"What?"

"I'm going to use thunder, to give it a stronger current." I crawled over the bed, and barricaded myself behind a leather chair on the opposite side of the room. Roxas stood on the other side.

At first, I didn't see anything. All I heard were small shocks, these clicking sounds. Then, there was a white flash, and a white orb of flustering energy spiraled in his hand.

"Don't worry, I'm controlling it, so you can come out now."

I rose from my hiding spot and cautiously walked over to him. I picked up the watch from the bed, and grabbed the end of the plug with the exposed wire. With his other hand, he grabbed the end of the plug with the metal insert.

"Oh! So instead of plugging it into the outlet, you're gonna become the outlet yourself! That way, you can decrease or increase the flow of electricity that goes into the watch."

He smiled, and routed the electricity surging from his hand to the metal. Then looked back at me.

I inserted the exposed wire into the watch, for the second time.

**Alex's POV**

It was a sunny Sunday morning: 8:00 am. I was just casually strolling to the kitchen to get a bite to eat, when I saw Jess huddled by the kitchen sink, looking down at something. That's when I also heard the familiar voice - Larxene's voice.

I crouched down on the side of the wall opposite the kitchen, and listened.

"The girl and Roxas have disappeared, along with the watch. We traced them to Traverse Town, but since Roxas hasn't used his dark powers since then, we suspect that was only to lead us off their trail."

It was definitely Larxene.

"Are you looking for them?! If the real worlder returns, she'll expose everything!" Jess' hands gripped the sink in frustration.

_If the real worlder returns...?_

"You have nothing to worry about. Investigations are currently being conducted in all major worlds: Traverse Town, Hollow Bastion, Agrabah, and Twilight Town.

But the majority of witnesses we've gathered say they saw a blonde haired boy and a brown haired girl boarding a train to Twilight Town. We've dispatched Axel to Twilight Town."

_Organization XIII is behind this...? That means that Jess never..._

"What does the Superior plan to do with the girl once you find her?" Anti-Jess asked.

"Kill her, since you've managed to be such a successful replacement."

_...never came back._

"How is the situation with DIZ?"

"Thanks to the real worlders, his plans for revenge have been thwarted. We suspect that he's not only after Roxas, but is also pursuing the real worlder. As long as she's with Roxas, Sora won't be able to wake up. Which means that DIZ's plans for revenge...are FINISHED."

"Splendid. Everything's going as planned."


	16. Chapter 16

**Zack's POV**

"What's so urgent that you had to get me out of bed at 7:30 am to meet you here? At the library? Of all god-forsaken places..."

I shielded my eyes against the bright light pouring through the stained glass windows.

"I know that you guys are hiding something! And I know that your cousin has something to do with it." Becky nearly propelled herself across the wooden table.

The librarian gave a warning glance over her thick glasses. Pouting, she shrank deflatedly back into her chair.

"Jess and I are supposed to be studying for PSATS. But ever since your cousin came, its like she's been disappearing everyday. She never calls anymore."

"Maybe she's busy." I tipped my chair back, and stared at the library ceiling.

_Becky was born to worry about other people's problems. Its not like I can reverse her nature. _

_Everything's so dramatic with her... _

_If she ever found out about Alex's virtual reality experiments, she'd completely blow everything out of proportion. I don't think I could handle that. _

**Alex's POV**

"I swear I didn't hear a thing!" I raised my hands defensively, nearly stumbling over the living-room couch as I repelled myself from her.

Every step she took forward, I took two steps back...but I was soon met by a dead end; the living-room wall.

"I find that hard to believe."

"You won't get away with this. The Organization will fail."

"Since when did we make that arrangement?"

Suddenly, my body lost all feeling. I tried to run, but my legs didn't seem to work...her eyes had an eery, crimson glow. That's the last thing I remember seeing. Next thing I knew...

_Something cold and hard beneath my head..._

_Beeping sounds, resembling the sound of a computer..._

_Slight tenderness and soreness of the neck...apparently concrete had been my pillow for the last hour. I was in the basement. _

My eyes swerved about the dark space, searching for the beeping sounds. I tried to move my arms and legs, but they had been bound by a thick rope.

Across the room, beside the computer and the equipment, stood anti-Jess; the watch in her hand.

I knew that if I could just work my hands into my back pocket, that I could get my cell phone...

**Jess' POV**

"A password?! Are you joking?!" I kicked the leg of the bed, which sort of hurt afterwards...

"At least its fully charged now." Roxas reasoned.

"The password has to be something simple...something obvious..." I clinged to the edge of the bed, rolling the balls of my feet on the carpet anxiously.

_5 minutes later..._

The watch beeped again...**after another failure.**

"That was our second shot. We can't get the password wrong this time."

My glance shifted from the watch, to Roxas. I could see that he was just as desperate as I was.

_That's when I knew that we had to work together...if we were going to get this right._


	17. Chapter 17

**Zack's POV**

"Zack, I've been wanting to tell you something for a long time. Something I haven't told anyone."

"What is it?"

_You'll go out with me. _

_You want me...because you realized that you can't live without me._

_Any of those would sound great._

"A few days ago I got this weird call. It was hard to hear the person on the other line, but they were saying, 'Rep, COM, Vexen, a copy..."

I sighed disappointedly.

She slipped a folder out of her bag, and scattered it contents across the table.

"Take a look at the evidence yourself."

I could feel her eyes studying me closely, as my eyes drifted from sheet to sheet. In it were pictures of Castle Oblivion, Vexen, and Roxas...

Suddenly, the pieces seemed to come together.

"**Vexen** is a character from an RPG game called **C**hain **O**f **M**emories, an installment in the Kingdom Hearts series. He was an evil scientist, and a member of The Organization. **Rep** is a clone he created- **a copy **of one of the main characters, Riku." Becky took a deep breath, obviously satisfied with her afterschool exploits.

My cell phone started going off. Becky drummed her fingers on the table.

It was Alex.

"She's evil! She tied me up in the basement! If we don't stop her, there'll be nothing standing in her way! She's left for the moment. Hurry before she gets back!" Alex screeched into my ear.

"Umm, okay. I'm on my way."

I hung up.

"Emergency. Alex needs some last minute supplies for a project he's doing in Chemistry."


	18. Chapter 18

**Zack's POV**

A chilly gust of air hit me as I ran down to the basement. I switched on the light, immeadiately spotting Alex.

He was scrunched up in the corner by his bean bag chair, tied up; a disheveled mess.

"Alex! What happened to you?"

I ran over to him, and tried loosening the ropes.

"What does it look like? She tied me up down here. We need to hurry, before she gets back."

Alex cringed as the door slammed shut behind me.

"Too late for that." I turned to face the stranger that was my sister.

"So that little rat summoned help." She sounded like she was scolding a child.

"What did you do to my sister?"

She laughed, her eyes mocking and harsh.

"That's no longer your concern."

Suddenly, I was paralyzed. I couldn't control my limbs. I tried to move, but my body went rigid and straight. She grabbed a piece of rope from the other side of the room.

"Don't you have a Spanish test tomorrow, Zack? You shouldn't have wasted your time coming here." She mocked. I groaned as she unmercifully tightened the knot.

"Where's the real Jess?" I managed to spit out.

She tossed me in the corner beside Alex.

"She'll be disposed of soon enough."


	19. Chapter 19

**Jess' POV **

"Axel...what are you doing here?" Roxas stepped in front of me, summoning Oathkeeper.

Axel's eyes drifted to me, then rested on Roxas once again.

"I should be asking you the same thing. Why are you helping HER?" His eyes narrowed.

That's the one question I'd been afraid to ask. Why was Roxas helping me? He could've just followed orders, like the other members had. Why was he defying the Organization? Had I caused his betrayal, or was he doing it for himself? My heart became faint, and froze where I stood.

"You wouldn't understand." Roxas replied.

Something in Axel visibly snapped.

"WHY?! Because its the right thing to do? Because...she makes you feel human?" Axel boomed.

"I don't answer to you!" Roxas growled.

"Then who do you answer to? Your heart? Ha, like you have one." His tone was cold and mocking.

Roxas summoned the Kingdom Key in his other hand. Now he had two. Axel shook his head in disapproval. He snapped his fingers and four nobodies squirmed out of the corners of the room, surrounding us.

"You're an idiot, Roxas. They told me that if I met resistance, to use force. You're leaving me no choice."

"Get the watch. Go back to your world...and don't ever come back here!" Roxas warned over his shoulder.

"What? I'm not leaving you to face him by yourself!" I wanted to help him...

"What assistance could you be to me? You have to go back to your world! Anti-Jess must be stopped." I winced at his harsh words, but rebounded when I remembered...

"Roxas. You have a choice." I squeezed his shoulder.

For a split second, his blue eyes met mine.

I couldn't break from his gaze. I had never noticed them before--his mesmerizing, blue eyes. They were so honest and sincere.

Why wasn't he like the other Organization members? Why didn't he hunger for power like the rest of them?

He had helped me escape from the Organization, but he didn't have to. He protected me from Axel, but he didn't have to. The part of me that didn't believe him--was afraid to trust him-- searched tirelessly for the dark motives beneath that kind, welcoming facade. But so far, nothing had proved my suspicions right.

What was so different about him? Why couldn't I read him?

"No, Roxas! Don't do this!" Axel's voice pierced through the silence.

I knew if I waited anymore, I'd probably lose my chance.

"Quesadilla!" I yelled into the watch.

Everything was eclipsed by a hot, white light.

We plummeted into its depths, unprepared for what lie on the other side...


	20. Chapter 20

"Jess, wake up..."

I felt someone nudge my shoulder.

But sleep seemed too good to let go.

"Jess, we're back..."

I unwillingly opened my eyes to find myself nose to nose with Roxas.

"Where are we...?" It felt like I'd just run the mile in gym- the equivalent of getting hit by a car. You know what I'm talking about.

We were underneath someone's bed, surrounded by dirty clothes and old school papers...

I was about to crawl out, when Roxas jerked me back.

"Don't go out there!" He whispered sharply.

"Tyler Perris! Soccer practice is in 10 minutes!"

The sound of feet climbing stairs got louder...and closer.

"I know Mom! Have you seen my soccer ball?"

The door flew open.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep track of your things?"

Tyler slammed the door as he entered his room, and began pacing.

"It has to be here somewhere." He thought aloud.

I stopped breathing when I realized that the soccer ball was right next to me.

_Oh my God. Best Day Ever. __**Not**__._

"Maybe its in my gym bag."

Not there.

"The closet, probably."

Not there either.

"Maybe its under the --"

_If he looks under here, someone's gonna get hurt._

"Tyler! I found another one, so let's go!" His Mom's nagging holler broke the silence.

"Okay, coming!"

Tyler sprinted out the door, shutting it as he left.

We heard the sound of an engine starting up, then rubber tires skidding on gravel as the car drove away.

The house was still.

"Its safe." I crawled out from underneath the bed, Roxas followed suite.

"Your brother and cousin probably need our help." He glanced out the window overlooking the driveway.

"The woods are behind us. There's a path that leads to my house. From there, we'll go to Alex's house."

"But how are we going to get out of here?"

"There's probably a back door somewhere. Let's go downstairs." I ushered us out.

We went out into the hall. I was heading for the stairs, when I heard...growling?

At the bottom of the stairwell, a massive, ugly abomination waited for us. Or, simply put, Tyler's massive Rottweiler. I love dogs, but uh, not right now.

"Holy shit... Run." I whispered to Roxas.

The brute snarled viciously.

"What?" He asked.

Drool dripped from its razor teeth like venom.

"Run!"

It thumped up the stairs behind us. We dashed down the hall to apparently Tyler's parents' room. I slammed the door in its face just as it pounced, hearing it crash as its face collided with the wood.. Roxas and I blockaded the door as it struggled to barge in.

A nearby table caught my eye, and suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

"Keep him busy!" I ordered Roxas, and ran to the other side of the room to pull the table across.

"Piece of cake."

I dragged the table across. Roxas moved aside, and helped me place it in front of the door. For the time being, it held, but I knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.

"Perfect. What now?" I pondered.

"The balcony." He opened the sliding glass door, perched himself on the railing, then jumped off. Alarmed, I rushed over.

"Are you nuts! Normal people don't just jump off balconies!" I yelled down to him.

However, he had landed unscathed on the ground below. The woods were behind him, which meant the path was somewhere there too...

"I'll catch you!" He stretched his arms out.

"No way! You're insane!"

The malicious snarling got louder as the door budged open wider. Apparently, the table wasn't going to hold for as long as I thought.

"You better catch me!" I climbed onto the other side of the railing, and stared down at Roxas.

It felt like my stomach was coming up into my throat.

Another pounding on the door, and one of the legs of the table went out.

"Just jump!" He yelled.

Then, I heard a violent crash.

The table gave out.

The door flew open.

And I jumped...

We used the path in the woods to get to Alex's house. I knew my evil twin was probably lurking around somewhere. So we cautiously crept out of the woods to the small basement window at the back of Alex's house.

And there she was! Zack and Alex were tied up in the corner...they must've found out. She left the basement. I grabbed Roxas' hand, and crawled behind a hedge on the side of the house. We heard the front door whip open, and saw her walk out. We sat frozen, breathlessly waiting to see where she'd go next. She walked two houses down, and finally entered my house.

After waiting a few seconds to make sure she didn't come back, we hustled over to Alex's front door. I struggled so frantically with the key, that Roxas had to take it from my hand and open the door himself.

We hurried in. I secured the locks on the door, and rushed to the china cabinent by the doorway.

"I have a feeling that won't be her last visit. We should blockade the door."

With Roxas' help, I pushed the china cabinent up against the door.

Next, we bolted to the basement. Inside the dank space, I found Alex and Zack. Their eyes lit up when they saw me.

"Jess! How did you get back?!" Alex beamed.

"And why did you bring the enemy?" Zack cleared his throat, nodding over to Roxas.

"No time to explain. I'll tell you everything later." We untied them.

Suddenly, we heard a huge pounding on the door, like gunshots.

"She's back!" Roxas summoned his key-blades.

"I never would've guessed." Zack sighed.

"And that china cabinent won't hold for long." I added.


	21. Chapter 21

**Jess' POV **

**(Yes! We've gone back to POVs! After god knows how many chappys I did without them! Sorry if confused. VERY BUSY two months.)**

We bolted out the back door, and sprinted into the woods. Roxas took my hand and squeezed it, offering a reassuring smile. And it worked until a few seconds later, when we heard a thunderous bang as the back door was ripped off its hinges! We weaved through trees and brush, hoping to lose her in all the confusion. The sky became bleak and dark, and I wasn't the only who noticed the sinister clouds looming overhead.

We paused to look up at the ominous, black clouds gathering over the forest. Roxas grabbed my hand even tighter, and we delved deeper into the woods.

I could feel her presence everywhere, but when I looked back to meet her malicious gaze, no one was there. The trees seemed to huddle closer to us, like they were listening to every step...every stressed breath. We were closer to Tyler's house now; halfway through the woods. As we got deeper, the brush got thick and more tangled. Soon, there was nowhere else to go...

Once we reached a large clearing, we paused to catch our breaths. It seemed like we'd lost her. But, I could'nt help feeling like we were trapped; that something bad was going to happen to us.

"Stay alert! She's around here somewhere." Roxas warned.

"Why do the bad guys always have to make things so difficult?" Zack muttered.

"Is everyone alright?" Alex asked.

Suddenly, the Earth began trembling beneath us. I lost my footing and stumbled backwards over a log. I saw Roxas' hand extend out to me, but they were all eclipsed as a massive wall of rock rose out of the ground, splitting the clearing in half...separating me from the rest of the group. On the other side, I heard some shuffling and screaming as the ground shifted beneath me. Then, there was silence.

The bad kind of silence.

"Hey! Do you guys hear me?!" I slammed myself against the wall.

No answer.

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. Were they...no, they couldn't be. Somehow, they must've gotten away safely. I **prayed** that they'd gotten away safely.

I was about to climb over the wall, when I felt something sticky beneath my feet. I tried to move, but my feet seemed glued to the ground. I thought I was just stuck in some mud, until I felt something creeping up my leg. Froze with shock to find that I wasn't standing in mud...I was standing in darkness! And that thing creeping up my leg? Fingers...fingers that belonged to HER. Like quicksand, she was pulling me down into its ebony depths. Her head bobbed up from the pool of darkness, a wicked smile on her face.

Her voice was sweet and childish as she whispered, "Your friends won't be coming to save you."

**Zack's POV**

"Whoa! What just happened? How the hell did we make it out of there?" One minute I saw black, the next we were back at Alex's house. Not to mention that I felt like I'd just been on Nitro at Six Flags.

"With that." Alex pointed at a swirling vortex of darkness.

Roxas stepped out of the rip portal, keyblades drawn.

"Wish I had that during In-School-Suspension." I sighed.

"Where's Jess?" Alex asked.

"Still at the clearing. I'm going back for her." Roxas turned his back on us, about to step through.

"But its dangerous..." Alex mumbled ineffectively.

"I don't really think there's a choice. Besides, what else did you have planned?" I shouldn't have asked.

Alex got a huge grin on his face.

"My newest invention!"

"Here we go again."

"But I'll need some time to get it ready..." Alex insisted.

"Time's not on our side right now." Roxas stressed.

"That's why I'm going to need your help, Zack."

"While you work on that, I'll see what I can do." We watched as Roxas disappeared through the vast pool of darkness.

"If it involves me, then its not safe, is it?" I muttered.

**Jess' POV**

"Why did you come back if you knew you were going to die?" Her voice was the only sound in the darkness.

"Because I had to protect my friends, my family."

"Its a pity you won't live to ever see their faces again."

"What makes you think you'll get away with this?" I tried to move.

Suddenly, she appeared beside me. She smiled softly -a smile of satisfaction- and gently caressed my cheek. My body was too numb and lifeless to resist her cold touch.

She looked me straight in the eye as she icily replied, "Because I'm you. What if 'you' somehow miraculously survived? I wouldn't have any trouble faking my death, when in reality, it will be you who would've died. I'll go back to living my normal life, and with Roxas' help, I'll destroy everything you know and love."

I winced as her nails clawed into my wrist. I felt this pulsing, burning sensation as she lifted my wrist for me to see. At the site of the inflamed, swollen area was a black star.

"What's this?"

She wore a secretive smile on her face, like it was some kind of inside joke I wasn't getting...or wasn't supposed to get.

"Enjoy your descent into the abyss."

I closed my eyes as a chilly wind battered my face, then opened them to find myself alone. She disappeared. Like a figment of my imagination, like an intangible dream, she had faded away...leaving me with my wandering thoughts and my crushed hopes. For awhile, I was just sinking farther and farther into the pit.

I shut my eyes again, letting the cool, still darkness take me. Besides the dull ache in my body, the only thing that remained was the stinging sensation in my wrist.

"Maybe I should just give up." I muttered to myself.

"Give up on your family? Everything you love?" The voice was barely an audible whisper. It was distant...warm.

"What else do you expect me to do?" I replied, bothered. I still had my eyes shut.

"Fight." The voice was closer. It was strong...persistent.

"I can't fight if I've already lost everything." I replied dejectedly, rather annoyed at this point.

"Everyone's waiting for you. And I'm waiting for you too."

I squinted as I opened my eyes. A bright, glistering light was approaching. I couldn't distinguish who it was. A figure was swimming towards me. When he extended his hand out to me, the glimmering light languished from his face...revealing Roxas.

Estatic to be in the company of a 'sane' human being, I took his hand, and he pulled me into his embrace.

Smiling, he whispered, "Hold on tight."

He opened a rip portal, and we were sucked into it. It felt like were spinning...then, we fell out of the sky and landed on the tall grass below. We were back in the woods. I held my head dizzily as he helped me up.

"How did you find me?" I asked.

But this was no time to chat.

Suddenly, the trees came to life. A sharp branch was racing toward us, but in one swift hack, the branch fell lifeless to the ground. Soon, there were others to take its place. The whole forest seemed against us. There were too many for Roxas to handle.

I pulled Roxas and we sprinted in the direction of Alex's house, branches and roots twisting and knotting behind us. We were so close, only a little bit further! That's when I spotted Alex and Zack positioning a silver, sniper-like cannon in the distance... Zack was waving his arms frantically.

We continued sprinting, weaving our way through the brush. We were only a few feet away from crossing over to the safety of Alex's backyard, when a wall of branches and roots formed over the exit, obstructing our path! We were in a dangerous collision path. I thought to stop, but I didn't even have time to think about it, because Roxas and I suddenly jolted forward, lurching through another rip portal.

This time, we ended up on Alex's front yard.


	22. Chapter 22

**Jess' POV**

An enormous flash lit up the backyard! Fearful, we ran to see if Alex and Zack were okay.

The branches and roots receded into the woods, returning to their previous state. On one side, Alex and Zack were coughing, attempting to fan away the huge puffs of smoke that had risen from the device. On the other side, anti-Jess rolled over onto her back, clutching her side in agony, as darkness flowed out of the gash...

"What did you do to her?" I asked, running over to them.

"I modelled this cannon after my computer's degeneration program. They both serve the same purpose- to break down and delete Data." Alex replied.

We watched in the eery stillness, as the darkness gushed out of her. Her body faded, until it was nothing more than hardly an apparition.

With her last erratic breath, she gave me that wicked smile imprinted so clearly in my mind, and whispered, "Its not over. Its never over..." Then, like a fleeting dream, she disappeared forever.

"Hey Roxas, you don't look so good." I heard Zack say.

Then suddenly, Roxas collapsed!

Zack and I caught him just in time, steadying him against the side of the house. That's when I noticed a sharp piece of wood sticking out of his side, darkness streaming out of the wound. I gasped when I saw it.

"Zack, hold him. I have to pull this out." I said.

"Gently." Alex coaxed overhead.

He let out a grunt. His face contorted in anguish as I slowly removed the wood, trying but failing to ignore his cries of pain. More darkness flowed out.

"What now?" Zack asked.

"If we don't help him soon, he'll fade away too. I have a plan. Bring him down to the Basement." Alex said.

**Alex's POV**

"Place him at the center of the mat." I directed, positioning the camera.

Roxas was unconscious.

"But I thought we only used that thing when we were going into the game?" Zack asked, puzzled.

I took a deep breath as I handed out the protective goggles.

"Look, there's no guarantee this will work. Since I use the restoration program all the time for my other programs, I figured that it should be able to restore Roxas to his previous condition. Afterall, he is just Data, right? But there's no guarantee this will work. We could even end up...destroying him."

"Don't talk like that. Let's just do this." Jess said, tightening her goggles.

"Yeah, why you always gotta be a downer? Lighten up." Zack added, giving me an encouraging thumbs up.

"Okay. Everyone have their goggles on? Alright, let's rock." I pressed ENTER.

Once again, the room glowed a brilliant, hot light. We shaded our eyes against the white heat. As it dimmed down, I could see that darkness was flowing back into him...like he was repairing himself.

And another thing happened: his hair turned black.

**Zack's POV**

As the light faded, Jess rushed over to his side.

Alex's bean bag chair was on fire, and he was freaking out! I just had to stand there and laugh at him, before grabbing the fire extinguisher to put it out.

She bent down beside Roxas and touched his hair, then shook him lightly.

"Roxas. Roxas!" He stirred after the second time.

"Ow...my head hurts. What happened?" He muttered.

"Looks like the Test-Run worked! He's not blond anymore either!" I perked up.

"You're still here. And...you're bleeding?" Jess wondered, confused.

Roxas didn't understand. He felt his cheek, then looked at the crimson on his fingers, like it was foreign to him.

"How is this possible?" Alex had amazement written all over his face. His fingers tapped away at the computer again.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Great news. The Restoration program worked. He's okay. But, according to my scannings...he's not data anymore either."

The statement seemed to just hang in the air. The room grew silent, as all of us deciphered what that meant.

"Not data anymore?" Jess muttered, looking between Alex and I anxiously.

I looked back at Roxas' bleeding cheek.

"And blood's coming out, instead of all that darkness." I added.

We were getting somewhere.

"That could only mean one thing..." Alex paced.

Roxas stared at the blood on his fingers.

"I'm human." He whispered.

**Tyler's POV **

"Tyler! Did you find Brutus' dog chew yet?" Mom asked, as I charged up the stairs toward my room.

"No Mom. Sort of busy right now!" I shut my door, being certain to emphasize the shutting part. It slammed with a loud thud.

My Mom never knew when to quit. She always wanted more from me. There was always so much pressure to be the best at everything. Sometimes, I couldn't take it. I fell onto my bed, and stared up at the ceiling. Silence was so precious. Being the co-captain of the soccer team took so much out of me. Not to mention, the violin lessons my Mom forced me to take. I HATED violin.

How come I couldn't be like a normal kid?

That's when I thought of Zack. He held a grudge against me ever since elementary school.

But his sister, Jess...was entirely something else. Maybe it was because she was just so easy to talk to unlike her idiotic brother. Not like I'd even think of starting a conversation with that Loser.

I was lost in thought, when suddenly, I heard a beeping noise. Alarmed and annoyed, I got up and looked around. _When will Mom learn to keep Brutus' toys out of my room? These things always keep me up at night!_

I searched through the covers, looked around my desk, probed through the closet...but still found nothing. Just the annoying beeping noise.

Then, I realized there was one place I hadn't checked. A strange, white light flooded from beneath the bed.

I found the source of the light. It was a watch. The screen was gray and fuzzy, like snow on a TV. It looked like nothing that belonged to me.

"Do you want her?" A dark voice asked. It was coming from the watch.

"What?" I whispered.

"If you embrace the darkness, you can have anything you want. Anything." It replied.

The voice was cold and spell-binding. It asserted its power over me.

The power seemed to take hold of me--invigorate me.

I never knew that such a power existed. The darkness surged through me, permeating every part of my being. My doubts and fears were replaced by an unparalleled level of confidence and self-assurance. I realized that all along my life had been dominated by what was right and wrong. By what I should do--not what I wanted to do. If I threw away all those stupid rules, I could have whatever I wanted. Nothing would be off-limits. There were so many possibilities, but all along I'd been too blind and stupid to see them. Suddenly, I knew I could have whatever I wanted.

Nothing was beyond my reach.


	23. Chapter 23

**Jess' POV**

"I bet the whole town heard the commotion in the woods." Alex said, jittery.

"The good thing is that nobody saw us, right?" Zack countered, attempting to lighten the mood.

"We don't know that!" Alex fretted, immeadiately shooting down the thought.

No matter what Zack and I said, when Alex was down...Alex was DOWN. Worrying about stuff just made the whole situation worse. Roxas and I placed ourselves on the broken heaps of equipment, as Zack yawned and sunk into the worn out, faded blue bean bag chair. Alex paced back and forth anxiously. It was Sunday night. His parents still weren't home yet. If we were going to decide our next course of action, it had to be now. The chaos and destruction left by anti-Jess would be sure to knock them off their feet.

"So what now?" Alex half-smiled. It was more hysterical than joking.

"Zack and I will take the blame-- for the house." I blurted.

"What?!" Zack and Alex cried in unison. I hesitated to continue, but continued anyway.

"We were throwing a little party, and it just got out of hand. If we mention no names, no one else gets hurt."

"Except us." Zack added, glumly.

"What about Roxas?" Alex asked. I squeezed his hand in mine. Yes, we were still holding hands.

"I was hoping --" But Zack cut me off.

"He can't stay with us. There's nowhere to put him. Besides, Mom and Dad don't put up homeless people." As he said this, he snuggled deeper into the bean bag chair.

"There's an attic. Its located above my room. We could keep him up there! It has a window too." Alex exclaimed, like this was an extra-plus considering the fact it was the most dank, dark space in the house.

"Is it safe?" Roxas asked, weary. He must of got the message from my "are you crazy?" expression.

"Of course! I was planning on moving my lab up there anyway. My Dad's been looking at pool tables lately, so I think he's gonna try to reclaim my space." Alex replied. I got the feeling he was liking this plan better and better.

"What about the creaky floor boards? You don't think your parents would get suspicious?" Zack wondered.

"Only if we acted in a way that made them suspicious." Alex assured.

"What about after? We can't possibly hide Roxas in secrecy for so long. We'll eventually have to find a new place for him." I said it, even though I didn't want to.

"Jess' right. Roxas isn't a nobody anymore. He's a human being. We can't just hide him and hope that nobody finds out." Alex agreed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

After a few seconds, Zack took a deep breath and spoke.

"Then, in December we'll admit him as a foreign exchange student, and former friend of Alex's from Japan. Didn't your private school in California accept students from all over the world? Just say you met Roxas there."

Was Zack really making that up as he went along? Funny thing is, the idea seemed crazy enough to actually work! I got excited, and started to pitch in.

"And his name can't be Roxas! It'd draw too much attention... It has to be something standard, something average..." I muttered.

"Can you imagine if we kept the name Roxas? Every KH fangirl across the country would come flocking to our school in mad hoards! It would be so awesome..." Zack said, dazed. Roxas chuckled.

But Alex was not amused. He still had the same stern, worried look on his face that he'd had ever since I returned. I've never seen a 10 year old look so serious.

"First, how do you expect me to do this? We'd be better off hiding Roxas in secrecy, than breaking laws to make him legal! It isn't that simple! I can't just walk in, show them the papers, and be done with it! He'll need records, documents, proof! I'm a genius, not a magician!" He involuntarily increased the speed of his pace, pulling at his hair as he went.

"So what you're saying is, we could get into a lot of trouble for this," Zack said. It was more of a statement -a very obvious statement- than a question.

"Well, I'd think anything that involves forging documents and secret identities translates into hard time!" Alex nearly shouted.

Zack rolled his eyes at Alex, then put his head back into his arms and let out another yawn. I took my eyes off Alex's hunched over, thoughtful form, and focused on Roxas. But he wasn't looking at me. With his index finger he was tracing the outline of the black, star-shaped mark, looking absently at it, consumed in thought. I was shaken slightly, when he spoke.

"I'm worried. Anti-Jess is gone, but the star's still there. I think it means something. Afterall, she said it wasn't over." His eyes were still glued to the star, as he spoke.

I couldn't read his expression. Emotions flickered across his face- worry, anger, fear- and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on...

"Well, I shut down the network completely. As long as its down, the Organization won't be able to get here. Trust me, we won't hear from them for a while." Alex assured.

"I guess I'll cover it with a bracelet for now. If Mom saw it she'd think I got a tatoo or something!" I smiled, trying to shrug it off.

Just mentioning it seemed to affirm that she really did exist. That she really would've killed me...if Roxas hadn't been there. But it was still my fault that I dragged him into this. He told me to leave- to go without him- but I didn't want to hear any of that.

I looked at the black star on my wrist and closed my eyes, hoping that it too was just a product of my recently overactive imagination. But it was still there.

It was still a part of me.


	24. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Here's a break-down of everything that's happened so far (excluding the first few chappys cause that's old news).

**What's the plan for human Roxas?**

He's going to be admitted to Zack and Jess' school as a foreign exchange student. _Sorry if anyone was confused.  
_You have no idea how many times I re-read these things to catch mistakes... Alex is going to say he knows Roxas because they went to that fancy private school together in the past.

**What about Sora and his other half? **Sooner or later, I'll have to tie up those loose ends. No promises, though...at least not yet.

**Tyler found the watch that Jess accidentally left under his bed.** You don't know what's going to happen, but you know something WILL happen (knowing how much I love to screw with these people's lives, ha).

You can bet that after anti-Jess wrecked Alex's house, the group will have to be more covert now that they're on their parents' radar.

**As for the black star scar and future run-ins with the Organization?** You'll just have to wait and see...


	25. Chapter 24

**Jess' POV**

_December, at last._

Zack and I were grounded-- set to serve hard time doing chores and extra miscellaneous things (I'd rather not talk about) for the damage done to Alex's house.

Alex wasn't exempt from punishment either. He had to take time off from his experiments, and we weren't allowed to come over as often as we used to, putting a hold on all virtual world-related activities. When we were allowed to come over, it was only under constant adult supervision. Alex's mom was huge on safe, constructive fun, which limited the activities to "sitting still" and watching TV. Very fun.

I concentrated mainly on doing my usual study habits with Becky and acting like my life was normal, which was hard, considering the fact that my possibly-could-be boyfriend was a video game character that lived in my cousin's attic.

Zack even contributed to this charade of normalcy by having daily Spanish lessons with Becky.

It was almost December, and we'd decided to go with the original plan:

_Admit Roxas to our school as a foreign exchange student from Japan._

Alex had made a huge production out of the fact we would go to prison if the federal government happened to stumble upon our risky exploits, but eventually he got used to the idea, and went along with it anyway.

We had created a new identity for Roxas. We thought to gave him a new name, but decided that it would be too confusing...so we voted-- 2 to 1. Alex and I voted for the name Rox. Zack wanted to call him Bobo.

After a lot of research, a bunch of technical jargin only hackers would know, 2 am Saturday get-togethers, and getting drugged up on caffeine, we'd finally formulated our proof and were officially sick of coffee. Thanks to Alex, we had everything: Rox's proof of citizenship, school documents and history!

For the first time in a long time, everything seemed in control. On the outside, it looked like our lives were getting better, but I knew it was only a matter of time before something came along to wreak havoc on the balance.

That's when I started receiving some very strange e-mails:

**From: CREEP**

**To: Jess**

**I know your little secret. Don't tell, and I won't tell.**

I suspected that "Don't tell" meant "Don't tell anyone about the e-mails."

At first, I remembered that I'd told Becky about my ordeal with the Organization last Christmas break. Maybe she'd finally put the pieces together. But I didn't want to confront her about it, and make her more suspicious. Plus, I couldn't tell anyone about the e-mails, not even my own family. When I asked Becky if she'd been online lately, she replied that she had way "too much studying to do, and that the internet was getting boring." Movies were her thing now. Besides, it wasn't like Becky to lie.

I concluded that Becky was clearly out of the loop. Maybe she really did think I was crazy last Christmas.

Besides the e-mails, my star-shaped scar had been really bugging me. Not itching, just stinging randomly at different times during the day. This occurred most often at school, especially at lunch-- when the pain was at its strongest. I found myself not attending the cafeteria as often as I used to, instead going straight for the Art room...

I couldn't explain it. Suddenly, all those feelings of doom and loss I had stored away crept back into my heart- an unwelcome visiter. The image of anti-Jess, and the creepy, lulling sound of her wicked voice echoed in my head, over and over again...like a siren call. Was she still alive? Was she still hunting me? Whenever I felt the pain, it was like I was re-living the black, hellish pit all over again.

That's when it happened...on a snowy, downcast day in December, that Tyler Perris approached me in lunch.

Roxas was to be admited to school the following day. We'd already taken an "online tour" of our school and had had a "web interveiw" with our school principal. How Alex managed to pull that one off? I do not know.

"Hey Jess!" Tyler waved. He and his friends were just getting into the lunch room.

Alex and I had decided to bring our own lunches. We were already enjoying the brief silence of the empty lunchroom before the crowd rolled in. I was thankful that Zack was at the Dentist that day, because he would've flipped. Tyler had been trying to get my attention ever since October, but Zack had given him the evil eye, so he greeted me from a safe distance-- waiting for the perfect opportunity to slip by.

As Tyler left his table, Alex got up to go to the cafeteria kitchen, though he already had his lunch.

"Hey. What's up, Tyler?" Tyler took a seat beside me, in Zack's seat.

"Zack must've gotten to your cousin too..." He said, nodding at Alex's retreating back.

"No, Alex just wants to give us some privacy." I countered.

"Well, I know a better place for that. Wanna see?" He offered, getting up.

Was it safe? Did curiosity not kill the Cat?

I ignored my gut, and decided to check it out anyway.

**Two minutes later...**

"You have keys to the roof?" I was amazed.

I walked out onto the landing to enjoy the view. It wasn't much, but I could see everything- the parking lot and the vacant football field... My hands gripped the pole blocking us in, as a wintry gust of air hit us. Tyler joined me, the same look of fascination on his face.

"Well, I am the superintendent's son. I can have anything I want." He crowed. He ruffled his brown hair in a casual way that only I could notice.

I let out a laugh. "This place is a little creepy though. Like one the places in those slasher movies?"

Why did say that? I felt like the idea shouldn't amuse me, but I heard myself laughing anyway. He laughed too, it was a calming, musical sound.

"Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to see a movie tomorrow night." As he said this, I noticed him carefully stepping towards me, closing the gap between us...

"Isn't this view really awesome?" I replied distractedly. It was obvious that I was trying to change the subject. I didn't want to give Tyler the wrong impression...but I was afraid I already had...

Tyler caught me off guard when he planted his hands firmly on my shoulders, and lightly swiveled me around to face him. I tried not to meet his uncomforting gaze, but he lifted my chin to look at him. There was no running away from it now. I started getting the feeling that even if I had rejected Tyler Perris' offer, that he probably would've found some way to force me into coming. For some reason, I'd pictured this so differently in my mind. Once, I had imagined myself liking- even being at ease with Tyler. But nothing about the way he held me- about the way he looked at me now, with those penetrating, all-knowing eyes, made me at ease. I wanted to run away. To hide myself from him. Something about him just felt wrong. I took a deep breath.

"I'm a little busy tomorrow night. Maybe next Friday?" The little voice in my head told me that "next Friday" probably wouldn't happen. I was sure it was right.

"You're difficult, you know that?" He teased, grinning.

The moment he said that, the crippling pain returned, shooting from my wrist to my heart. I bent over, one hand clenched to the pole, the other grasping my chest as the pain threatened to shatter all control. Tyler was standing so close to me, he offered his hand to steady me, but I pretended like it wasn't there.

"Are you okay? What's wrong with your wrist?" He asked.

He took my wrist, and unhooked the wide, leather bracelet I'd been wearing over the mark, catching sight of the star-shaped "tatoo". He chuckled, perhaps trying to lighten the situation. He failed miserably.

"I thought you were the goody-two shoes type." He said, a mischeivious look in his eyes. I yanked back my wrist.

"Who said you could look?" I replied, rather harshly.

"I'm sorry"- he innocently held up his hands- "It's cool though. I like it. We should make some plans sometime." He smiled, as he ushered me back into the building.

Little did I know what I was getting myself into, getting involved with a guy like Tyler Perris.


	26. Chapter 25

**Alex's POV**

I poured my second glass of lemonade, and sat down at the dining room table next to the saltine crackers and peanut butter. We were having another meeting, and this was the only snack in the whole house. Since getting rid of anti-Jess, there really wasn't any point in having meetings...but we had them anyway, during the week-ends when our parents were at work.

The house was silent, except for the beeping of the new alarm system my parents had installed. Ever since anti-Jess trashed the house, they've been extra careful and picky about who I bring over. Its not like I brought a lot of kids over from school in the first place, but whatever. I downed my salty peanut butter snack, then joined Zack, Jess, and Roxas in the Attic upstairs.

Since I hadn't completed moving my lab from the basement to the Attic, the space had become a bit cluttered. It was strewn with the camera and plates from my virtual world equipment, my blue bean bag chair, a portable electric heater, and the sleeping bag Jess and I padded with quilts, in the corner for Roxas.

"Tomorrow's the big day. Are you ready?" I heard Jess ask, as I ascended the ladder.

"School doesn't sound so hard." Roxas said, confidently. He and Jess were sitting on the edge of his bed. Zack had pulled up the blue bean bag chair beside them, lounging around as usual.

Earlier, Roxas had told me that he was concerned about Jess. I didn't really understand what he was talking about, she seemed normal enough to me. But as of late, she'd been a little out of it at our past meetings. I figured that it was just a lack of sleep, which was something we all suffered from. Then again, it did seem like her mind had been somewhere else the past week...

"You might change your mind about that a few hours in." Zack snorted.

"As long as you do the work and pay attention, you'll be fine." I assured, eyeing Zack as I took a seat on the dry, wooden floor.

The way we were positioned formed a triangle.

Jess cleared her throat, "We're lucky to all have the same lunch period. I could give you the grand tour during lunch. There's not much to see. Our school's a little small compared to what Alex has seen."

"Oh, I wanted to give him the tour!" Zack whined.

"Don't you usually do your homework at lunch?" I interjected.

Zack shrugged.

I knew that Roxas probably wanted to speak to Jess alone. With Zack and I constantly hanging around, being alone was probably pretty hard. Besides, I had a few experiments to work on and could use Zack's help. An awkward silence filled the room, so I stood up.

"My lab's still in the basement. I have this little project I'm working on. Zack, why don't you come with me?"

"No." He muttered, drowsily. He was dozing off in the chair again...

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I don't wanna be a guinea pig today." He mumbled.

"Oh, come on! It's still Thursday! If we have that snow day tomorrow, you can sleep all you want! Besides, it's 6:30 pm and my parents are going to be home at 8:00." I dragged Zack out, and we descended the ladder.

**Roxas' POV**

"You haven't been yourself lately...Is everything okay?"

I knew that if I straight out said, "she'd been acting weird lately", she'd dodge the question like she had all week. Something was bothering her, and she was determined to keep it a secret from me.

All the signs were there. Whenever we had discussions, all she would do was nod her head in agreement or disagreement. If we asked anything more- like for her opinion or to expand on a subject, she'd come out of her daze blank and speechless, with no knowledge of the prior conversation.

Every time I'd confronted her about it, she avoided me or changed the subject. This time, I wasn't going to let her get away without giving me an answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just school, you know? And the teachers! They're **really **annoying sometimes!" She was staring at the floor as she said this, avoiding eye contact. She looked nervous.

I inched closer to her, and took her hand- which was dangling off the bed- in mine, and squeezed it. I turned her hand so the palm faced upwards, and traced my finger along its creases. She leaned her head on my shoulder.

"You babble when you're nervous. Are you sure that what's on your mind has nothing to do with guys in black cloaks and evil clones?" I muttered.

She laughed and snuggled closer beside me, "At least that part's over."

"We can't be too sure."

"What do you mean?"

"First, tell me what's bothering you." I muttered.

I noticed the dark shadows around her eyes, almost etched into her skin. When she realized I was examining her, she looked away.

"You haven't been getting sleep, have you?" I whispered.

"Roxas--" But she was interrupted by...

"Don't Zack!"

The voices were Zack and Alex's, and they were arguing? Suddenly, Zack's head popped up out of the opening.

"Jess and I need to talk! Alex told me all about Tyler! Have you lost your mind?!"

**Jess' POV**

"Zack, it's none of your business." I said, getting to my feet to silence my brother.

Why did he have to do this now? I felt guilty enough as it was, with the whole "keeping the e-mails a secret from everyone". But really, did Zack have to make it worse?

"I'm your brother. I have a right to know."

The fact we were related didn't earn him the right to invade my privacy.

"No!"

"Is it that sacred that you'd keep it a secret from us?"

"You're only doing this because you've got a grudge against Tyler!" It came out as a cold hiss. Much colder than I had intended.

"So you're defending him?" He asked, obnoxiously.

"No." I replied, sharply.

"I told you to stay away from him. He's sketchy! When will you understand that?"

"If I say its none of your business, then keep out! Don't push me." I growled.

He took a deep breath, "The least you could do is be honest." His eyes flashed to Roxas, who leaned against the wall, arms crossed, with an inquisitive look on his face.

My defenses weakened at the sight of his curious, but trusting eyes still glued on me. I couldn't betray Roxas...not even if I'd tried.

"Tyler wanted to talk to me. He brought me out to the roof, and then we went back inside."

Not the whole truth, but a short, simpler version of it.

"What did you guys talk about?" Roxas asked.

Zack and Alex stood silently in front of me, their eyes raking my face for the answer. Roxas too, was waiting.

Searching for a distraction, my eyes fixed on the cracks in the wood as the words rolled off my tongue.

"He gave me an offer, and I rejected it."

I didn't want to stick around to see their reactions. My mind went blank as my feet took me down the ladder. I found myself running towards my house, against the crisp, chilly night air. I unlocked the front door and ran upstairs, only to sprawl out all over my bed and crank up the heat on the radiater.

The weatherman had said a bad snow storm was going to hit tomorrow. My school was already on alert.

A few minutes after I got home, Becky called to tell me her prediction that we were going to have no school tomorrow.

Which would mean no school for Roxas...


	27. Chapter 26

**Jess' POV**

Becky's prediction proved true. No school. That Friday afternoon, I received another strange e-mail:

**To: Jess**

**From: CREEP**

**You and me. 3:30 pm. Apple Bees. Ha, make it a date. Bring no one. You want to learn just how much I know? Our table is under the name, Peryl. Don't worry, you'll be home in no time unless the weather prevents it.**

"Well, that was an unusual blackmail letter. Was he being sarcastic at the end, or genuinely nice?" I wondered aloud.

_Did anyone else notice that the name Peryl sounded more like 'Peril'?_

I told my Mom to drop me off at Apple Bees 'cause Becky was going to meet me there (the cover), and took a shower. I packed some pepperspray in my handbag, and went out the door. It was a cold, windy Friday afternoon. As the weatherman had said the night before, the skies looked forlorn and gray, like they were going to unleash a massive storm upon us. Mom told me to call her before the storm hit, to let her know if I was going home with Becky.

Dad and her were leaving on a huge business trip that night, and were to be gone the whole weekend. As usual, I was supposed to play babysitter again. Though I've told her a million times that Zack is only a year younger than me.

Before I got into the car, Zack and Alex came sprinting over. Suddenly, I felt horribly guilty for not telling them about my blackmailer. What if I was going to my death? What if I never saw them again?

"Hey, what's up?" I was trying to be patient, but I had to get over to Apple Bees. Mom was still in the house, looking for her keys I presumed.

"Where do you think you're going? There's no school!" Alex demanded.

"I'm meeting Becky at Apple Bees. I'll see you guys later."

"But Alex has this awesome new invention! And there's a storm coming!" Zack insisted.

"I thought we were finished with the virtual world stuff..."

"This is way cooler!" Zack continued, as Mom shut the front door.

"Okay...I told Mom I'd be back before dinner. If any of that changes, I'll give you a call." I replied, as she entered the car.

"Suit yourself." Zack said, hands in the air, as they retreated back to Alex's house.

"What's that all about?" Mom asked, as she put the car in reverse and we backed out of our narrow driveway.

"I have no idea." I muttered.

For the rest of the car-ride, Mom asked me the general stuff...like how school was and how Becky was doing. I tried to keep my answers as short as possible, leaning more towards one-worded responses. She probably assumed I was just acting the way all teenagers act, so I wasn't alarmed when she fell silent five minutes in.

My mind was elsewhere anyway. I wondered who this blackmailer was, if I would ever meet them. Why were they blackmailing me? What did they want? What was there to gain? Roxas?

My family lives on the outskirts of the suburb. As we reached the center of town, everything got more dense and bright. On one side was the huge mall, and on the other was a square, lined with smaller shops and restuarants. The warm, yellow glow of these shops was faint in comparison to the brighter, larger white lights of the Mall parking lot, which surprisingly, was packed with cars. I guess no one cared that a huge snow storm was coming, or maybe they were preparing.

My Mom let me out on the sidewalk in front of Apple Bees. After assuring her that I would be okay, she drove away.

I did everything the letter said to do. As instructed, I brought no one with me. The waiter seated me at a "private table" in an obscure, private room...which looked more suited for romantic couples than for a rendez-vous with a blackmailer.

Then, it was only a matter of waiting. An hour passed, and still no evil blackmail guy. I was beginning to think that maybe someone was just trying to get under my skin. Put me on a wild, random goose chase to confuse me. I was beginning to lose hope. It was 4:45 pm. Sick of eating nothing but bread and butter, I laid my head on the cold table and drifted off to sleep. Until a familiar, unexpected voice woke me up.

"Jess? Is that you?" I lifted my head drowsily. Everything was still blurry...

"Jess, its me! Tyler Perris."

"Holy- what are you doing here?!"

_Tyler Perris?! Is he everywhere?_

"My Dad owns this Apple Bees. I come here for a free meal sometimes. Ha, don't tell anyone." He whispered.

"What doesn't your Dad own?" I joked in disbelief.

"So, you're supposed to meet someone here?" He was more serious now.

"Yeah, but I thought I'd just go home. Its a long distance thing...hasn't been working out." It was a smooth lie. I rose from my seat.

"How ironic, that its the same time as our would-be date..." He muttered.

My stomach did that weird flippy thing. Like butterflies...? No...more like if I don't get the hell outta here I'm gonna gag.

"Well, it was nice seeing you." I abandoned my chair, and fast-walked for the exit.

I hated situations like these. Lying to Perris and telling him that I was involved with some fabricated jerk wasn't the problem. The problem- and the thing that made my head swirl- was the embarrassment of running into him. Who was I going to run into next? Becky? On second thought, don't answer that question!

"Well, since you're here, why don't you join me?" He asked, catching up with me.

Was he following me?

"I have to go!" I sped up my pace, until I found myself running.

"Wait!" He yelled after me.

People stared as I shuffled out of the restaurant. I nearly lost my footing as I stumbled out the door. It was only till I reached the parking lot, that I wondered where I was running to! I was standing in the parking lot behind Apple Bees, and it was already snowing outside. The large, feathery snowflakes looked like white, gum ball drops.

I was about to walk across the street to the pay phone, when the stinging pain returned...tugging at my heart. It was overwhelming! I leaned against a nearby lamp post, clutching my chest and attempting to breathe like a normal person. As Tyler approached, the pain seemed to get stronger until it was almost unbearable.

I didn't understand why this happening to me! I'd gone to the doctor twice in the last month, and he had said I was perfectly healthy.

I was starting to think this had nothing to do with my physical well-being. It stemmed from something deeper, something no one could see. Whatever it was, the pain was consuming me.

Time seemed to slow. My vision turned hazy and pixil-like. I shook my head to get rid of the blur. By this point, Tyler was at my side.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I managed to spit out through clenched teeth. I decided it was time to stop dawdling, and head over to the pay phone. But even removing myself from the lamp post was a chore.

It wasn't like before. This time, the pain just wouldn't go away!

_Anti-Jess is gone! The network is down... Why is this happening to me?!_

I felt Tyler's arms steady me as another strong wave of pain washed over me.

This time, I did not resurface.

**Roxas' POV**

"Roxas! Wake up!" Alex's voice came in as a muffled shriek from underneath my pillow.

Groaning, I slowly sat up and summoned the key-blade. Alex's eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of his head. The clock read 11:00 pm, and there was a great, howling sound that rattled the basement. The snow storm...

"Whoa! Its not that serious..." He said, holding his hands up.

"Then what's wrong? Where's Jess?"

"Oh, she's at Becky's. Becky called a long time ago to let us know she was sleeping over. My parents are spending the week-end at a hotel...apparently its their anniversary. Zack's in the living room downstairs, watching TV."

"Then...what's the problem?" I asked, letting the key-blade vanish from my fingers. I sat up straighter to hear him better.

"I recently did an inventory check of all my inventions and failed experiments, and I came up short..." He rubbed his chin, speculating.

"Came up...short?" I asked, raising an eye brow.

What was he trying to say?

"After you and Jess came back to the real world, what happened to the watch?"


	28. Chapter 27

I felt something warm and soft beneath me, like a blanket. I wasn't in pain anymore. The sun was beating against my eyelids, red and bright, so I opened my eyes. The room looked like something that would have fallen out of the Victorian Era...with creme, lace curtains that adorned the windows, a soft, rouge carpet...and an enormous bed, lush with similarly rouge pillows and grandma quilts.

It was all so cozy and familiar, in comparison to the harsh, crazy snow storm raging outside. The whole house seemed to rock against the furious winds. I could hardly see anything...only white and wet flakes hitting the window. The land seemed to stretch for miles, towards a high, black gate in the distance. It must've been a private estate...a mansion. Most mansions in town were a pretty long drive away from the outskirts of the suburbs. The sun was glazed over.

My purse sat on a small dresser beside the bed. I checked to see if everything was still there, and it was. Where was I? Where was Tyler? I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to gather the facts...

The door was open, so I crept to it and peeked out to see if anyone was there. Outside, was a long, horizontal hallway. I looked left, and that's when I saw her! Larxene! She was pacing in front of an open doorway, the light casting an opaque shadow on her hunched silhouette. She looked pissed. I popped my head back inside, and leaned against the wall, eventually sliding to the floor.

_How did THEY get here?! They shouldn't be here! And what are they doing in this house?!_

_It must belong to Tyler. Tyler's Dad is practically rich. But is Tyler's Dad in with The Organization? _I cringed at the thought.

_Wait- the watch! I'm so stupid! Tyler must have found it under his bed! He must be helping The Organization...or maybe they brainwashed him, but I doubt that. They wouldn't have sent a clone to replace me if they could've brainwashed me. But why would Tyler choose to be evil?_

_I need to tell the others!_

I reached into my bag and grabbed my cell phone, but when I dialed the number, the call couldn't get through.

No reception.

I searched for a landline phone. Something! Anything! They had to know! I stole the phone off the dresser. After I frantically punched in the numbers, I realized the phone didn't even have a dial tone.

I was in the middle of nowhere! No one would find me. Who knows where Tyler was! I was in a strange house, with the Organization a few feet away! I could've screamed all I liked. No one would've heard me. I was all alone.

I needed to find a way out of here. Whether he liked me or not, Tyler was evil, and I wasn't going to wait for him to come back. Why had he brought me here anyway?

I scoured the room for a possible escape route, and found a large vent tucked in the corner beside me. I'd seen this in movies, but I'd never actually tried it in real life. _Dammit! _The thing was bolted shut! I needed a screw driver. Absently, I looked in the bottom drawers of the dresser, and found a screw driver. How lucky. I untwisted the bolts, and removed the vent cover as soundlessly as I could.

I realized I would need something to keep them busy for a while, a decoy. I checked outside the door again. Larxene was gone. The door made a soft purring as it gently clicked shut. Then, I stuffed pillows underneath the covers, to make it look like I was sleeping. Hopefully, this would distract them for at least five minutes, enough time to get out.

I had no clue where I would go if I did get out. It wasn't a brilliant plan, but I wasn't going to stick around for them to resurrect my clone.

I took a deep breath, and disappeared into the vent.

The path seemed to go only one way- straight, and it was smaller than I thought, cramped and dusty. Sometimes I felt like sneezing, but every time I subdued the urge. I wormed my way through. After a little ways in, I started hearing voices. As I got closer, they became more discernible. Two voices stood out the most. Larxene's high-pitched screeching- she sounded furious- and Tyler's suave, calm voice- soft, but manipulative. I reached a dead end- another vent cover. Light flooded in, and I looked out to scan the area. The vent was in a tiny corner.

I couldn't see anything, but no one appeared to be stalking around, so I pushed the vent, and surprisingly it popped off. I caught it before it clattered to the ground. Tyler and Larxene were still arguing as I put the vent cover aside, and squirmed out, rising to my feet. I brushed some dust off my jeans. I stood in an incomplete cube, surrounded on three sides by walls, leaving me an opening to peek out and see the chaos that was ensuing.

The room was huge! The ceiling was as tall as the school gym, but it seemed too deep underground to be an extra living room. This was a massive basement, like Alex's, except bigger! I was close to the stairwell, where the exit was. Further in, however, was a lab, cold and sterile looking. Huge computers, all flashing and beeping, like Tron's World from KH2... And at the center of it all, knelt Larxene, Axel, Vexen, and Tyler, before a giant, flat computer screen with Xehanhort, grinning wickedly on it. They were all quiet now.

"Where's the girl?" Xehanhort asked.

"Sleeping soundly. I checked on her a minute ago." Axel replied.

Xehanhort's eyes narrowed, "Tyler, you may stand. The others, remain as you are. I have a few questions for you Tyler. What did you hope to achieve by bringing the girl into this? After attaining the watch, she's no longer of any use to us."

Larxene mocked, in a childish tone, "The little boy has a crush!"

"Shut up!" Tyler barked, and summoned a...key-blade?!

_How did Tyler get a key-blade?!_

Tyler replied, "Superior, the girl can be of use to us. The ones who sent you back and killed anti-Jess trust her. She can join our ranks, and we can take advantage of that trust to get revenge.

Or we can use her as bait. Roxas and the others are bound to come looking for her. If we capture Roxas before DIZ does, then Sora won't be able to wake up. Either way, with her on our side, there's nothing stopping us from controlling the world."

"But what's so special about her? Couldn't we easily use her brother, or her cousin the meet the same end?" Vexen griped.

"No, because unlike her brother and cousin, she has been exposed to darkness. The darkness inside her is her greatest weakness. We can exploit that weakness to get what we want. We can control her. Also, my new powers seem to have the most effect on her..." Tyler persuaded.

I stared at the black, star-shaped scar on my wrist, and suddenly, everything seemed to fall into place. Tyler was the blackmailer. Tyler was the one who had arranged our meeting at Apple Bees. It had all been a trap, his grand scheme, and I had fallen right into it. I was confused, angry, and hurt. Tyler was the one causing me pain, and in addition to breaking my will, he was planning on using me to exact revenge on my family.

"That's an excellent plan. You have much more talent and possibility than Roxas ever did...which is why I'm making you, Tyler, the new Number 13.

You must capture Roxas though, DIZ might try to infiltrate the real world and take him for Sora. The real worlders are already enough of a problem." Xehanhort added.

"Roxas can never be replaced!" Axel shouted.

"No one cares about your pain, so why don't you keep it to yourself?" Tyler retorted coldly.

"It looks like we have an uninvited guest..." Larxene hissed.

All the chatter stopped. I froze. Suddenly, she twisted around swiftly, and a bolt of lightening shot out of her hand! I ducked just in time, as the blow blasted half the wall away. As it was crumbling, I bounded up the stairs and skidded down the hall, feeling something hot at my heels. I knocked down anything in my path- chairs, tables, vases- anything that could get in their way.

I reached another stairwell, the one that descended to the front door. But what my eyes fixed on was the small black and silver key, all by its lonesome, on a small table by the door...

A car key.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Larxene. I bolted down the stairs as her hand extended out to shoot me again. The glass window next to me on the starwell exploded. I shielded my head as the glass shards scraped my arms. I heard the bolts flying overhead, and after two more blows, the banister on one side of the starwell collapsed in flames. She growled in frustration at her poor aiming, but everything around me seemed charred or on-fire.

I grabbed the keys, and slammed open the front door. A cold, wet wind battered my face as I slipped out. That's when I saw it, a beautiful, black BMW. My ride out of here.

I sprinted for it, struggling through the snow that went up to my knees, but I didn't care. I was more than half-way there! Larxene was huddling by the doorway, but she didn't throw any lightening at me. She looked angry and cold, staring with repugnance at the gray sky and the frosty, snowy wonderland. I never would've guessed that Larxene hated cold weather. She just glared at me, like she was waiting for something to happen. I didn't stare at her long, because I finally got the car door open. I vanished inside and shut the door.

I twisted the key in the ignition, realizing only too late, that the steering wheel was gone.

In my peripheral vision, I saw a dark figure sitting casually beside me. I could see his maniac smile, even in the dark. He clapped his hands lightly. It was a horrible sound. It meant failure.

"Smart, but not smart enough."

I turned my head slowly to meet his gaze. Tyler's gaze. God only knows how he got there before me and managed to rip out the steering wheel. It didn't feel like only three minutes of my life had passed.

"Why? Why are you doing this? Why are you helping them?" I asked.

He smirked, and moved in closer, tauntingly, his lips to my ear. I couldn't look at him. I looked straight ahead, at the blustering snow storm, feeling his warm breath on my face.

"I'm doing this for us. Once the world is in the palm of our hands, we can have anything we want. _You_ can have anything you want. Think about it." He coaxed.

"There's nothing to think about! There's no 'us'!"

"You still have feelings for Roxas." He hissed.

Was that jealousy in his tone? Perris **already **had the world in the palm of his hand! Sure, his parents were strict and wanted to pretend they were middle-class, but he could have anything he wanted! Girls threw themselves at him! At one time, I wished he could have me too. I don't know the exact moment that crush died, but it was hard to imagine that Tyler could be jealous of anyone, or anything.

"What makes you think joining the Organization is going to make me fall for you?"

"Because you want me." He was serious.

"What?!"

He was snobby and selfish! The super-intendent's kid! Accustomed to getting everything he wanted! How could I not see this before?!

"Zack was right about you! You're insane!" I tried to open the car door, but it was locked, and the button for unlocking the doors was gone too.

Fuck.

"I'll take care of your little family soon, but first..."

The wretched pain returned. It shot through my limbs, getting saturated at my heart. I gritted my teeth and doubled over, gripping the car door with one hand, and my chest with the other. I tried to take deep breaths.

"If you can't make the right decision, then I'll make it for you. You no longer have a choice." His voice was cold and hard, like stone.

He shoved me against the car door. Then leaned toward me, arms propped against the door on either side. He was blocking me in. He touched his lips to mine. I tried to stay as numb and emotionless as possible, but he refused to be ignored. His tongue pried into my mouth. It was futile. When I tried to push him away, he pulled my hands away and kept kissing me.

After about a minute of unrequitted affection, he cursed and gave up.

The awful pain radiated in my head this time. I blacked out.


	29. Chapter 28

**Zack's POV**

Saturday Afternoon.

Our Dad got Jess a laptop last Christmas. She hates me touching her stuff, but I do it anyway. Besides, she's the only one in this house that gets to enjoy the luxury of being wireless...the rest of us still take turns on the computer and get screwed over by dial up.

I shook the mouse a little bit. The screen opened up to her mailbox. Apparently, she hadn't logged off. An e-mail she had received the previous day, a few hours before she left for Apple Bees, was still on the screen. So, I read the e-mail sent by CREEP.

_If she didn't go to Apple Bees to meet Becky, and went to meet this CREEP person, then where was she now? Was she out of her mind?! _

_Why would she keep this a secret from us?! To protect us? But why would someone blackmail her anyway? No one knows about the virtual world except us. _

To my surprise, that wasn't the only e-mail she'd received from CREEP. Half the things in her mail box were from this guy. As I scanned through them and read the ghastly messages, one by one, it became clear to me that Jess was in some real danger. She was a target.

I phoned Becky.

"Hey Becky. Is Jess spending the week-end at your house?"

"No, she didn't call me...is something wrong? You sound worried."

"No, everything's great."

"Your sister can lie better than you. And she's a pretty bad liar."

"Bye Becky."

"Wait--" (click)

It was better to hang up on Becky before you got her started. Her lectures were as unpredictable as chicken soup- which is not predictable and can get very annoying after a while.

_Best Case Scenario: Jess lied to us, and went to Apple Bees to meet this CREEP person. Maybe she was wise enough to bring some other friends with her, and she's spending time at their houses._

I phoned everyone else in her phone book. They all said they hadn't seen or spoken to Jess since that day before school closed, Friday.

_The Worst Scenario was coming true. Jess lied to us, and went to Apple Bees to meet this CREEP person. Whoever they are, they kidnapped her. They know her well enough, to know who her friends are, and aren't. It can't just be any random person; someone like this has to have the inside scoop on everything that goes on. Someone in her circle... _

I ran over to Alex's house. This piece of news would certainly change everything.

**Roxas' POV**

Zack told us about the blackmailer, and automatically I knew that Tyler was connected to the letters.

"Perris kidnapped her." I scowled.

"Perris? What does he have to do with this?" Zack asked.

Alex and I froze mid-pace, and exchanged glances. We hadn't told Zack about Tyler yet. When we did, all hell broke loose. Literally. Zack smashed one of Alex's cameras to the floor and stomped on it, demolishing it to pieces.

"Calm down! Look, if you going to break my stuff then sit in the corner!" Alex pointed at the vacant corner across the room with a rigid finger.

"And this is going to help my sister?! I told her that guy is a lunatic! But she didn't listen to me! No one ever listens to me! I can't believe that Tyler did this to her!" He sat on my bed, bent over with his head in his hands.

"Don't worry. I was afraid something like this might happen, so I came up with plan." Alex tried to sound upbeat.

"We're going to use Alex's new invention." I said, and grabbed a small box from the bookcase that Alex and I had recently moved up.

I opened it, revealing a rubix cube, and four new, silver watches. "A cross between Ben 10 and the iPhone," Alex had said.

"Like the previous model, these still serve as a bridge between the real world and the virtual world." Alex explained.

"Big whoop. What are you getting at?" Zack asked, impatiently.

"These watches give you powers that can be used in the real world." I stated.

Zack fell silent. He gawked at the devices, then sprung back to life.

"But...how? Have these even been tested?" He asked, a smile playing on his lips. It was so contagious that Alex and I started grinning too.

"Roxas and I tried it out last night. We're not deformed yet, so I think its safe." Alex muttered.

"You're kidding? Though...I do like the thought of blowing stuff up. What does each one do?" Zack prodded excitedly.

"Choose one: There's Morph, Clone, Black Magic, and Water magic...with added healing properties!

Since our contact with the virtual world, a lot of strange things have been happening. In order to protect ourselves from the unknown, I needed to come up with something fast! This was the result.

You can use these powers to protect yourself and other people. Take it off, and its useless. Hopefully, my research is right and these won't kill us." Alex's smile faded into seriousness.

"I choose Morph. Let me guess- it allows me to turn into any animal I want, right?" Zack asked jokingly.

I explained, "Actually, yeah. Clone lets you clone yourself and other people, but it won't last forever. Black magic...well, everyone knows that. This one lets you do Water magic and heal."

"Roxas declined a watch, so we have Clone as an extra. I'm using Black Magic. I'm bringing the Water Magic to give to Jess." Alex said.

"This is so cool..." Zack muttered.

"Tyler has kidnapped Jess. I'm guessing by now that he probably has a weapon of his own. Plus, somehow the Organization must have hacked into the watch's system. Now Tyler has joined the dark side.

Assuming he has access to the tech we do, who knows how many Organization members he's hiding. We called his house earlier, and his parents sounded brainwashed. Like something was influencing them..." Alex drifted off into thought.

"English, please." Zack muttered.

I summed it up, "Tyler's evil. He probably does have access to the tech we do. Vexen knows all your secrets thanks to our first encounter. He probably has a bunch of them in his house, just waiting for us!"

"Then we'll give them what they want. A fight!" In a minute, Zack was on his feet. Fists up, to illustrate his point.

"Oh, yeah, that's a great idea, let's flag 'em down! We can't just barge in, guns blazing! It'd be like wearing a sign that says, "Look at me! Kill me!" Alex shot down.

"Not if we have clones." Zack said, flatly.

The room grew silent again. Each of us exchanged glances, and realized what Zack was getting at: Save Jess while they're distracted.

"They wouldn't last long. After a few hits they'd probably disappear. I haven't perfected it yet." Alex rubbed his chin.

"But five minutes would give us enough time to sneak in." I added.

"And steal their tech!" Zack chirped. We looked at Zack like "Are you serious?"

When he saw our bewildered expressions, he added, "Come on, people. You know you wanna. Or we could vandalize it, at least."

"You mean destroy it, so something like this never happens again, right?" Alex asked.

"Fine, we'll do it the boring way... What's that Rubix Cube all about?" Zack asked.

"Its not a Rubix Cube! Just press the white botton on the top, and it will store data. People like anti-Jess can fit into this thing. It's a virtual prison. If he is harboring Organization members at his house, we'll use this to imprison them." Alex explained.

"But if they're not at Tyler's house, then where are they?" I pressed.

"Tyler's Dad owns a mansion they use as a vacation home when they don't travel. Its about an hour and a half drive, and its well-hidden. Jess was invited to a pool party he had there a few years ago. I know where it is." Zack cringed.

Alex went through some papers he had on his desk, and took two out. Both were diagrams. A map.

"Good, because I hacked into Tyler's Dad's computer and got a layout of both houses. She's probably in this room. Its the guest room, unless cough she's in Tyler's room..." Alex hushed the last part when he heard me hold my breath.

I cleared my throat, "Alright, then. Let's do this."


	30. Chapter 29

**Jess' POV**

Saturday night.

The only light in the room, was the iridescent glow of the moon, filtering through the thick clouds surrounding it. There was a hard rap at the door. I was now chained in proximity of the bed, so answering the door was impossible. I could only walk to the window and back, which covered barely half the room. Axel never took kindly to me, but now he hated me, because he had been penalized for my near-escape. I never really liked him much either, but he was the one who brought my food, so I had grown a little overly cautious and picky about what I ate...not that I ate under these circumstances.

Tyler opened the door. He had made it a habit to check on me every few hours. I didn't know if he wanted to talk or...the other possibility, but mostly I kept my distance from him. He brought a tray of food with him. Apparently he had taken over Axel's shift.

I hadn't moved from my spot by the window. He placed it gently on the bed, never lifting his eyes from me. Then, he sighed, and joined me. I moved over so there was considerable space between us. It was still snowing. The wind was howling. It hadn't stopped since Friday night. I felt his eyes glued to me, but I was intent on ignoring him. I wasn't going to forgive him for that kiss. He put his arms behind his head casually, obviously unsettled by the silence between us.

"Still angry about that kiss, huh?"

"No, that was more like...harassment." I whispered sharply.

"You'll feel different about it later." He dismissed it.

"I doubt that."

"Even if they do come for you, they're not going to make it this far. Its pointless. You're just wasting your time. You could be doing more important things..."

"Like what? Homework?" I asked bitterly.

"Our plans are almost complete. In a few more weeks, homework won't matter anymore. Nothing will. I can give you the whole world." He moved a step closer, and I took one back.

"The Organization is just using you. Roxas is so much better than you! Why would they replace Roxas with-- YOU?"

One minute, I was fine. The next, I was suffocating! I couldn't breathe. I felt myself fall to my knees, writhing in agony at my throat. I thought back to when I almost submitted to the darkness, when anti-Jess had me in her clutches. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I saw her face! Wickedly ominous and cold, with her malicious, childish grin, floating beside me in the black abyss. I gasped and closed them again. When I opened them, she was gone. I was staring at the floor, grasping the carpet for dear life. I could breathe again. My body had become tense and weak- almost empty- as I inhaled deeply to breathe life back into it.

Tyler knelt down beside me, and lifted my chin so he could whisper into my ear. I felt too frail and defenseless to fight back. But the little voice inside me was fighting to be heard, and seething with the scorn I felt for him. I bit my lip.

"Don't do this yourself Jess. It hurts me just as much as it hurts you." He said it so understandingly, it sounded fake.

"Liar!" I screamed.

"Uh, I'm tired of this!" He grabbed me by the arm and yanked me over to the bed, sending the tray crashing to the floor. I struggled.

He was leaning into me, his body on top of mine, and I knew what he was trying to do. I was struggling, wiggling, trying to push him away from me. When he restricted my legs, I grabbed my purse from the dresser and starting hitting him with it. Annoyed, he flung it to the other side of the room, and held my wrists firmly against the bed. I started screaming. He shoved his tongue into my mouth to silence me. He was kissing me. Hard and rough, like that night in the car, except this time I bit down on his lip. HARD. He scowled and repelled from me, but started tugging at my jeans. I kicked him in the gut, and it hurt! Did the darkness make him that way? Make his skin hard like steel? I wanted to strangle him, but I couldn't move my wrists. I realized that in all the chaos he had braced my chains tight to the foot of the bed.

"Tyler! **Tyler!**" It was sharp the second time, and it came from a shrill, antagonizing voice.

Larxene.

For once, I was glad that Larxene had intervened. I kicked him in the groin this time. He groaned and drew back, leaning against the wall for support. He grinned at me menacingly, angrily as he left, saying, "In two hours, you'll see. I'll break that resistance of yours." He limped out, closing the door.

I sighed, and somehow managed to untangle the chains, freeing myself from the bed. I fixed myself, then sat at the edge of the bed and stared at my feet, trying to take in what had just happened.

What would happen again in two hours.

I shuddered at the thought, and caved in on myself- physically and mentally- trying to find some way to undo everything. If we had never come in contact with the virtual world, then none of these things would have happened. I hated thinking this to myself, but maybe Tyler had been right. It was pointless to hope for a rescuer...nothing mattered. At least, soon, nothing would matter. It wasn't my choice anymore, whether I wanted to be involved in this or not. I was involved with Roxas. That'd be enough to doom us all. Tyler wasn't going to take NO for an answer. He was going to force me to be with him. If I had said yes, life probably would've been a hell of a lot easier. But then, I would've betrayed Zack and Alex, and Roxas...and myself. Either way, I didn't see a happy end to this story.

I was so consumed with worry, I didn't see the black figure...perched on the window sill, knocking on the glass. I looked up and held in a scream when I saw it, looming over me. The hair looked strangely familiar though, disheveled and black as midnight. I got closer, and saw that it was Roxas! I opened the window. A cold slap of snowy air blew in as he nimbly landed on his feet, beside me. I shut the window almost as soon as I opened it.

I was about to cry out his name in joy, but he put a finger on my lips before I shouted to the whole world. He hugged me tightly to him. How wonderful it felt to be in those arms again. We stayed like that for a while.

I kissed him on the cheek, and whispered, "How did you find me?"

He smiled, "We have our ways. Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?" I knew he was talking about Tyler. He lifted my chin to examine me, spotting the fading marks of bruises on my arms.

"That bastard..." He muttered, and trudged to the door. He was going to storm out of the room.

"Wait." I grabbed his shoulder and gently swung him around.

"Larxene and Axel are out there!" I whispered hurriedly.

"I doubt that. We've got clones of us in the yard, distracting them. I'll tell you about it later. But first, put this on." He took out a silver watch, and turned it on.

Clones? A silver watch?

"What is that? Where's Zack and Alex? You didn't come here alone, did you?" I asked.

"Of course not, they're breaking into Tyler's lab. Just put this on." He took my wrist and was about to put it on, when there was that same, hard knock at the door again.

I pushed it back into his hands, alarmed. I knew Axel wasn't at the door. It had to be Tyler.

"Have you made up your mind, yet? Or are we going to do this the hard way?" Tyler yelled, across the door.

Roxas visibly tensed, and put himself between me and the door. The expression on his face told me he wanted to wring Tyler's neck, or worse.

"Wait! Fine! I give up!" I yelled. "Roxas, you need to go, now." I whispered, ushering him towards the window. But he was as immovable as a brick wall.

"Let him come." Roxas whispered fiercely.

"Please, go! Now!" I whispered, then turned to face the door.

"No guarantees." I heard him whisper behind me, then saw him step into a rip portal. It vanished into thin air as soon as Tyler opened the door.

"Still not happy to see me?" He teased, touching his lip in rememberance.

The place I had bit it was red and swollen. Its like...he wanted to get hurt. He liked it.

"...You're an asshole." I muttered, standing my ground as he approached me.

"I heard some whispering in here a while ago. You weren't seeing anyone, were you?" He asked, checking behind the curtains and underneath the bed.

I let out a choked laugh.

"Who can I possibly talk to? I'm in the middle of nowhere, with no way to communicate to the outside world, locked away in this house. You'd have to be an idiot to think that I could talk to anyone, except myself...and you, that is." I replied, my voice heavy with sarcasm.

He smirked, and started stepping towards me slowly. I backed away, until he had me cornered by the window. He put his hands against the wall, on either side of me again. His eyes didn't move from mine, though I looked away.

Was he searching for the lies in them?

Then, he whispered in a cruel tone, almost so low I couldn't hear, "I'm not in the mood to play your little games tonight. I know he's here. Where is he?"

My eyes locked on his again as I stressed the words:

"I don't know who you're talking about."

He grabbed my arm. I thought he was going to drag me back to the bed again- make it final- but he froze, and held his breath. I held mine too. I didn't know what was happening.

Until, a sliver of moonlight flashed on a razor sharp object behind Tyler's head, pointed at his neck. I followed along it, to the hilt, until my eyes fell on Roxas, who wore a cold, furious expression on his face. His black hair in the pale moonlight, in contrast with his murderous, blue eyes, made him look like a dark angel.

"Let her go, or lose your hand." He said, icily.

Tyler's strangle hold loosened, and I ducked out from under him, joining Roxas. He didn't even look at me; his gaze hadn't moved from Tyler.

"What's the matter, Sora? I thought you liked games."

Suddenly, Tyler was gone. It only took me a split second, as Roxas pushed me out of the way, to realize that Tyler had teleported behind us. Tyler's first blow created a gaping whole in the floor. Roxas had agilely leapt to the side, avoiding the blow, and summoned his other key-blade. Now he had two. He unleashed a barrage on Tyler, but Tyler seemed to be able to take it. I turned over a desk by the corner, and watched them from behind it. Roxas threw one of the key-blades at him, but it missed and got stuck in the wall. Roxas sprinted towards him.

Then, Tyler surprised me. He shot lightening out of his key-blade, and it hit Roxas squarely in the shoulders. I thought the blow would send him crashing through the windows, but while in mid-air, he stabbed his blade into the floor and used it to swivel his body around, steadying himself. He dodged another one of Tyler's lightening strikes. Suddenly, the room seemed ablaze; small fires formed where Tyler's strikes had missed and ignited the floor. Shadows contorted and twisted.

"Your aim's as bad as Larxene's!" Roxas roared. Tyler's face twisted in anger.

He sent another lightening bolt flying at Roxas. Then, Roxas did something that surprised me. Bracing himself, he held his key-blade out in front of him, just before the lightening struck, and the bolt was absorbed into the key-blade. Tyler looked just as fascinated as I was. The air became heavy and overpowering, like static...his sword was so alive with energy, it illuminated the whole room!

Then, in one, powerful swoop, he sent the lightening back at Tyler! Tyler couldn't avoid it. The whole Earth seemed to rattle as he was flung through the bedroom wall, and hit the wall in the hallway. He slumped over. The painting above him fell on his hand, a loud, snapping sound, but he didn't stir. He was unconscious. I rose from my sanctuary, but Roxas motioned for me to stay. After a few moments of silence, he ran out and went through his pockets, finding a key. I was still chained up.

He let me free, and pulled his other key-blade out of the wall.

"Come on!" He grabbed my hand, and we ran back towards the front door, where I had been before.

Axel and Larxene were waiting for us there.

"Not again." I squeaked.

"The clones didn't work Roxas! Why? Why are you betraying us?" Axel drilled.

"Not again, Axel!"

"Why don't you..._persuade _him, Axel?" Larxene hissed.

"I think I will." Axel agreed.

Larxene launched her kunai knives at us, but Roxas deflected them.

"Up here!" Axel yelled.

We looked up, and lurched across the room just in time, as a flurry of flames descended upon us...burning the floor black where we stood.

"Zack and Alex are in the lab! Go!" He leapt over the banister to the first floor to face Axel.

Before I got away, Larxene appeared.

"Looks like your little boyfriend's not here to save you!" She mocked.

I backed away from her cautiously, into the corridor, searching for something- anything I could use as a weapon!

"You're pathetic!" She shot lightening out of her hand. I ducked. The blow shattered a window across the hall.

"What's wrong? Too much to handle?" She taunted.

I picked up a glass vase that had fallen on the floor, and threw it at her. As she shattered it to pieces, I ducked behind a tall, wide bookcase.

"So, now you've decided hide? Cowardly. I thought you were better than that, for some strange reason." She continued.

I waited for her shadow to reach a certain point on the floor. The bookcase had wheels. I waited, then swiveled it out and kicked it towards her. She nimbly eluded it, jumping gracefully to perch on top of the bookcase while it was still moving forward. She was on higher ground now. She jumped off before the bookcase toppled to the floor, shooting lightening at me again. I dodged rolled, and grabbed a small, glass bowl of marbles, then scattered it all over the floor.

When she landed, she lost her balance. While she was caught off-guard, I threw the small table (the bowl had been sitting on) at her! In an attempt to avoid it, she reeled back. Her head hit the bookcase as she fell, rendering her unconscious.

It wasn't my inital plan...but who was complaining? Besides, she looked rather peaceful when she was out cold.


	31. Chapter 30

"Alex! Where's Zack?" I grabbed Alex and pulled him into a bear hug. Zack wasn't in sight, except for a black Labrador by Alex's side.

"Down here!" Zack's familiar voice came from down below. From _the dog._

The relief flooding through me suddenly turned to panic. Alex turned my brother into a dog?!

I shook Alex, trying to weasel an explanation out of him. "Are you insane?! What did you guys do now?!"

"Relax, its only a joke." The black Lab quickly morphed into Zack, becoming upright and taller, his limbs returning to their natural, human form.

"H-How did you--" I stammered, but Alex interjected.

"There's no time! We've got to get to the lab! Where's Roxas?"

I pointed down below to the graceful, agile figures engaged in battle. Sparks rose from their blades as they made contact. A cluster of small fires lit the scene, quickly hopping from the floor to swallow the walls and the ceiling above…

Though Alex and Zack were already heading toward the lab, I had to hover over the scene for a moment. I had to take one last look at Roxas and Axel. I felt my hands grip the banister even tighter, as the circle of flames surrounding them got larger and larger. What if something happened to Roxas? What if Axel got the better of him? I was in a daze. My mind was spinning with so many questions and possibilities.

I felt Zack's hand grab my shoulder. He lingered for a moment--hesitant too--then pulled me away toward the lab.

We passed by the room I had stayed in. The spot where Tyler had been--hunched over and wounded--was empty. All that remained were shards of glass and the broken photograph of a boy…

"Good, she finally caught up with us." I heard Alex sigh impatiently.

We were inside the lab. Zack locked the doors, and we followed Alex down the stairs. Like before, in front of us was the giant master computer, and to our right and left was a lot of other, unnecessary beeping equipment I had no idea how to handle. I saw a smirk creep onto Alex's face, and he lunged for the massive computer before us.

"What do we do?" Zack asked.

"Just stand there and keep guard. We haven't seen Vexen yet, remember?" Alex reminded, as he slipped a disk into the drive.

"Good observation!" A shrill, maddening voice boomed.

Vexen slithered out from the blanket of darkness in the corner. Shaken, we all twisted toward the discrepancy.

"Wow, that made our job easier…" Zack grinned.

Vexen flashed a wicked smile at us. "Don't get too comfortable…" He muttered darkly.

"Don't get too comfortable yourself." Alex replied.

I barely heard him mutter, but I saw his lips move. Then suddenly, Alex's russet eyes turned strikingly, ice blue. His hair stood on top of his head like icicles jutting out from his skull. Likewise, his skin transformed from beige to a transparent, pale blue. Befuddled, I looked back at Vexen, and gasped in awe at what was happening.

The ice started from his feet, gluing him to the floor. Then, crawled up his body, swallowing his limbs, torso, then head as he writhed and jerked in agony…consuming him in ice.

It wasn't like the magic I'd seen in Kingdom Hearts. For one thing, it was real. Vexen being consumed in ice was Alex's doing, no doubt about it.

My eyes caught sight of the watch on Alex's wrist. It was identical to the one Roxas had tried to give me. I figured that it must be the source of all our new powers.

Zack rushed over to Alex to commend him, but I couldn't move. I don't know if it was shock or awe, or maybe both, but I slowly approached the frozen statue that was Vexen. He had literally become an ice sculpture. The horrified grimace on his face remained, captured the way it might've been in a photograph. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex downloading some files onto the disk. Zack--quick to get bored--was doing cartwheels on the floor in front me.

The lab doors slammed open. One of the doors broke off its hinges, and tumbled down the stairs. We jolted at the sound. A surge of relief washed over me when I saw the familiar disheveled black hair and key-blade in hand…

I could feel the smile on my face, the excitement mounting inside me, as I sprinted up the stairs, arms out to embrace.

He pulled me to him, and to my own surprise, I kissed him.

Unexpectedly, something didn't feel right.

I couldn't quite pinpoint it, but something about it--the way it felt--was strange, almost abnormal. It wasn't in the awkward sense. Trust me, I'd had an idea of what kissing Roxas would be like. It wasn't like I was expecting fire works or something unimaginably insane to happen, but I pictured it as being slow and soft, like a gently flowing river caressing the sides of its bank as it cascaded down the hills.

I wanted to let it go, to assume that maybe my expectations had been a little too high. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong here. I hushed the fear away, let him pull me closer to him, and buried my head in his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're okay." I muttered into his ear.

"Everything's going to be okay…you don't have to worry anymore."

I wanted to look him in the face--in the eyes--to believe him. I felt so stupid, because I knew that anything he said I would probably believe. I combed my fingers through his hair.

Then, my whole happy world flipped upside down. I looked up, and felt my eyes widen in terror at the dark figure standing a few flights above us in the doorway. At first, an image of Tyler flashed through my mind. Then, the figure took a few slow, steps toward the doorway, like he was confused, his body tense and rigid.

The light fell upon him…upon his dark, midnight hair and his widened, shocked blue eyes. My body went cold as the grasp on his key-blade loosened…and it fell to the floor with an deafening thud.

Roxas.

I drew back from the Roxas I was holding, confused and tormented. I peered into his eyes, searching for the truth. That's when I realized that his eyes…

His eyes...weren't blue.


	32. Chapter 31

Author's Note: I know I've been gone for a while. Sorry, for the zero updating, writing has had to come second to everything in my life right now. Somehow though, it always ends up being last. I know excuses won't make up for the past few months I haven't been on. Whoever's still reading, I hope you like it. And je suis desole.

**Jess' POV**

He had brown eyes.

The fake Roxas laughed. Black ribbons swirled around him, consuming him. Then, the ribbons dissipated, revealing Tyler.

"Let go of me!" I tried to push him away! But he grabbed my wrists as I thrashed, and held them in his constricting grip. Pulling me closer to him, he put his lips to my ear.

"Remember one thing...you and I are always connected. This..." He held up my wrist, drawing my attention to the star tatoo, "This will always connect us." He smiled, then exploded into a black mist. When it cleared, he had vanished.

I stared at my black, star-shaped mark, and wondered if he was right. Were we connected somehow...through this mark? Did he know something about me...that I didn't?

Roxas ran down the stairs, and was next to me in a heart-beat.

"Did he hurt you?" He was out of breath, key-blade drawn.

"I'm alright." I muttered.

"We'll find him" He began, looking at my wrist. "We'll find him, and get rid of that thing on your wrist! It's not over." He had this determined look in his eye.

"What will we do with Axel, Larxene, and Vexen?" I asked, descending the stairs towards Alex and Zack.

Alex was the one who answered first. "Keep them in storage."

He took out the Rubix Cube, and pointed it at the still frozen Vexen. Pushing one of the red squares on it, it turned on and vacuumed Vexen into the device. Once Vexen was inside, it made a locking sound.

"Hey Roxas, put Axel inside the cube for me. I'm gonna finish gathering the data. This place give me the creeps." Alex shivered, throwing the cube at Roxas. He caught it effortlessly.

I joined Alex by the computer. Zack stretched out on one of the stairs, and rested his head against the banister.

"So what's going on?" I asked Alex. He wasn't even looking at the computer as he typed.

"The Organization was stupid enough to put some of their most important files on here"

As he said it, boxes labeled _Ansem's Reports _and _Member Profiles_ popped up, "We may even be able to find out what they're planning next. That way, we'll be able to stop them.

You see, our watches, this computer, everything gives off a signal and everything's connected to one network. The fact we're all connected--that's why those from the virtual world are able to come here, and vice-versa.

The watches aren't efficient enough though--one watch can only bring 2-3 people here, at best. The Organization's trying to find a way to bridge the gap between our worlds and theirs...and using Tyler is a start. Axel and the others are still data afterall, they wouldn't be able to survive a week here."

"When we were fighting them though, how come they didn't disappear? Like anti-Jess when we hurt her?" I asked.

"The Organizaton got smart. They probably put something in their coding before coming here, like a firewall or something. It wouldn't be permanent though, probably last a few days."

"Where do you think Tyler is?" Zack called from the other side of the room.

Roxas sat beside him, turning the cube over in his hands. The spot Axel had been at the top of the stairs was empty.

"Let's find out." Alex went into a typing frenzy. All these programs popped up, but it was all too fast for me to see anything. Finally, a black and green grid appeared on the screen.

Staring at it closely enough, I realized it was a map of the town and the surrounding landscape. Many pulsing blue points were scattered in packed, brilliant clusters all over the map. But six green points pulsed--one in town, and the other five outside of town (where we were).

"All the points on this map are giving off signals. The blue points are normal stuff, like radios, TVs, cell phones--but the green points are us."

"But there's only four of us with watches. Why are there two other green points?" I asked.

"Nothing to worry about. The computer here, and the one at our house, gives off signals too. It looks like Tyler's not here...at least, not in the real world."

**Becky's POV **

"Hi, I'm new here! My name's Sara. You're Becky, right? I talked to your mother earlier today."

A strange woman (looked about 21), dressed in black jeans and a black sweatshirt stood on my front porch. She blended seamlessly into the darkness of night. Her green eyes were slanted, her brown hair slicked back neatly into a glossy bun. It looked unusual, considering her work-out attire.

"Hi..." I was surprised that she knew my name. I hadn't seen her move in or anything. She just seemed to pop out of nowhere.

"Zack, Alex, and Jess are your friends, right? I'm meeting the neighbors, and I just wanted to say hi." She said, dripping with sincerity.

"They live over there." I pointed to the house right across the street. "Their lights are off, so they're probably sleeping. Their parents are gone on a business trip."

"Do you think they'll wake up, if knock on their door hard enough?" She asked, smiling from ear to ear.

Something was off...but I didn't know what...

"No, they sleep very hard. Uh, Sara, right? It was nice meeting you, but I have to go. Um, lots of homework to do. Have a good night!" As I was closing the door, she stuck her foot in the doorway before it closed shut.

I peeked out through the opening, "Excuse me, but I have to go."

"What was the last you saw of them?" Her voice was low and snake-like.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but their business is none of your concern." I replied.

The minute I said that, she took out a gold and blue badge that had the word "_Police"_ etched into it. She held it to my face. Shocked, I opened the door wide.

"Your friends are threatening national security, and if you protect them, you're an accomplice. Tell me what you last saw of them, or we'll track them down." Her voice was hard and emotionless.

"You don't have any right to do this. You don't even know them!"

"I know that you and your mother have been pirating DVDs and CDs for years. That's punishable by law. Now, if you're smart, you'll tell me where they are. Keep your mouth shut about everything that went on here, and you won't get hurt."


	33. Chapter 32

**Jess' POV**

"What's wrong?" I asked. The computer screen started flashing bright red.

"The computer's denying me access to the data" Alex pressed the 'eject button' on the disk drive repeatedly, "It's not spitting the disk out."

"Warning! Computer set to self-destruct in 20 seconds." The computer's mechanical voice said.

I pulled Alex away as the key-board ignited! In seconds, a loose wall flames were between us and the computer.

"The data!" Alex cried. Zack caught him by the collar before he ran back towards the wall of flames.

"It's not worth your life!" Zack yelled.

"20 seconds. 20, 19, 18, 17..." The computer said.

We heard something deep below us snap and crunch! Then the whole foundation of the house shook violently like we were at the center of an earthquake! We all hit the floor.

"We've gotta get out here!" I yelled.

The ceiling started crumbling above us. Pieces of concrete and glass fell like rain, making an ear-splitting crash as it shattered against the hard marble floor. The whole staircase collapsed in, the exit blocked by a pile of concrete and brick.

"Protect!" Alex casted, using it as a large shield to prevent falling rocks from hitting us.

"9, 8, 7..." The computer taunted.

"Step through!" Roxas created a rip portal. We stepped through, appearing next to the towering gate at the very end of the estate.

Suddenly, the earth rattled, knocking us off our feet.

The House became a massive, 40 foot fireball! The flames licked the sky and clouds above--turning it black and overcast where it touched. Any trees or life nearby was consumed in flames, turning dry and brittle black. A hard wind blew us away, and knocked us into the gate. All I remeber was hearing four other thuds, feeling a fierce radiating pain in my head, and blacking out.

**Riku's POV **

"Did the computer self-destruct as planned?" Xehanhort boomed.

I hid behind a corner, watching the scene unfold. It was a general meeting. Every week, they sat in chairs of unequal heights, the tallest being Xehanhort's seat. This week, three chairs were empty. The other Organizations members--all except Roxas, Axel, Larxene, and Vexen--were present, but I saw a new face in the crowd...and he was sitting in Number 13's seat.

It was the face of one of the real worlders DIZ had told me about.

With short, black hair and devious brown eyes, I guessed him to be Tyler, the first of the real worlders to cross over to Dark Side. DIZ assured me that the others would soon follow his lead, allured by the mystique and power of darkness.

"Yes, your excellency." Tyler replied.

"Wonderful. Have the other members been loosed on the town?" Xehanhort asked.

"Yes, the real worlders will discover soon enough. They'll be so distracted, they won't find out about our plan until it's too late!" Tyler replied excitedly.

"Then commence with Operation Bridge." Xehanhort replied.

I felt my eyes widen.

Operation Bridge...the Organization's plan to link our realm to theirs.

With Tyler's help, the Organization had been making a lot of headway. They discovered that besides giving off signals, configuring the watches could also link the real worlds to pathways of darkness. Organization XIII planed to link every major capital city to corridors of darkness, thus starting a large-scale world invasion.

Not even the King would be able to stop them, and Sora was still sleeping.

But that wasn't the surprising part. DIZ told me that if the Organization planned to carry out Operation Bridge, to alert the real worlders immediately. I wondered why DIZ even cared if their world was in jeopardy. Weren't they the ones ruining his revenge? But then, the thought came to me. DIZ never did anything for anyone else, unless it meant profit for him.

What would DIZ make the real worlders sacrifice, in exchange for the safety of their world?

I slipped though a rip portal...a rip portal leading to the real world.

**Jess' POV**

Something felt cold and wet beneath me. I was sinking further into it, but someone's warm arms wrapped around me, and lifted me out of it. Their warmth consumed me...I wanted to fall asleep...but then something shook me. Hard. The hands shaking my shoulders were more discernible, besides the annoying voice that followed.

"Wake up, sis!" I opened my eyes slowly, my vision blurry.

"Her breathing's irregular. Am I blurry, Jess?" Roxas' voice soothed.

I was cold and wet. As my vision adjusted, I realized we were somewhere in the woods, in a snowy clearing. A dense fog clung to everything. Everything was blanketed by snow, and covered in a thin coating of ice. A brilliant full moon illuminated the downcast sky and shined down on the clearing. Alex and Zack stood on either side of me. I was still in Roxas' arms.

"Where's Tyler?" I asked.

Roxas was staring at me, brows knitted in concern. I pulled myself closer to his chest as my eyes grazed the field dazily, looking for shadows and whatever else that looked unnatural. Was I losing my mind?

"Don't worry, we're safe." Roxas assured.

I didn't feel safe. Just better.

"The Organization members got away though." Alex said. Roxas helped me up, as I dusted the snow off my jeans.

"What? They aren't in the cube?" I asked, confused.

Roxas replied, "Vexen still is, but during the explosion the cube must've been damaged somehow. It was in my pocket when we got out here. But when I woke up, it was in the snow, and 2 members were missing."

There was a long moment of silence.

The wind howled against the bare trees, which appeared black in the moonlight. A light drizzle of wet hail began, and drummed against the icy ground.

"Where do you think they are?" I shivered, turning on my watch.

Suddenly, I felt like something (or someone) was watching me. I looked into the dark, ominous trees, but finding nothing, dismissed the feeling.

"What if they're in town?" Zack balled up a fist, and punched it into his other hand.

Alex interjected, "First, let's do surveillance of the woods. We weakened them, right? They couldn't have gotten very far."

"I'm your man!" First, it looked like Zack was trembling. Then, too fast for any of us to see, he morphed into a hawk.

Alex directed, "Call twice if you see anyone!" With that, Zack flew off above the trees into the gray sky.

"Jess, that device does more than just Water Magic. I tested it, but it's up to you to discover its limits and your own. Every organism is made up of water. Set the watch to 'Second Vision.' It'll allow you to see the landscape, and feel any vibrations in the landscape caused by any person or thing. You'll know what I mean soon enough." Alex said.

I went to Programs and set the watch to 'Second Vision,' then closed my eyes. It's hard to explain what happened next:

My mind merged with the trees, the grass, the animals of the forest...I became their eyes and ears, felt what they saw and heard. Cold surged through my veins. It felt like my whole body was turning to ice. Yet the transformation felt...relieving and euphoric. When I opened my eyes, I no longer saw the brittle bare branches of the trees, or the matted, frozen grass.

In my new vision, their life and shape was defined by brightly colored liquids. The trees and grass were an exuberant green. Deep below them I felt a network of pipes, which I recognized as the sewage system. In the sky, the clouds were pretty clusters and swirls of blue puffs. Roxas and Alex beside me were nothing more than light-blue shapes. The animals were also light-blue. Space and time had also been altered. I could see for miles toward the horizon.

But besides seeing, I could feel all the life around me too. I felt a rodent scurry into a burrow hidden deep underground. An owl's sharp claws digging into wood as it perched silently atop a tree, letting out a deep 'Hoo.' I could even sense Zack, feeling the wind of his passage as he weaved through trees that stood miles away.

"Whoa...Jess, your skin's all pale and blue. Your hair's frozen...even your eyes are blue, like Roxas'!" Alex said, awed.

Finally, I felt it.

Someone running hard against the grass, stepping on tree roots in his haste. The figure was a burning bright red. The color was striking and painful amongst the cooler, soothing tones. Even the animals in the forest seemed to run away from it, as if they knew...

"He's straight ahead!" I pointed, running toward the figure about a mile away. As if to second that, Zack called twice.

I manuvered through the web of trees and bushes, Roxas and Alex following closely behind. I was startled that most of the animals in the forest were not afraid of my presence. They were more alarmed by Roxas and Alex. But instead of hiding, they stood in plain sight, staring at me with curious eyes as I passed.

Somehow, I felt like I could understand them. One thing I knew for sure was that they were afraid...but not of us. All the animals seemed to point in the direction of the burning red being, like they were leading me there...

We were so close! In the distance, I saw the red figure still sprinting through the snowy ice-land. Zack swooped down, and attacked him, causing him to stumble and careen into a nearby enbankment. For us, there was only one problem.

A stream.

"There's no way across." Roxas said.

Though the land had frozen over, most of the water still retained heat. The thin sheet of ice covering the water was too dangerous to risk crossing.

But...what if I could freeze over a path for us to cross?

I walked to the shore, and waded my feet in the shallow water. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I bent down and touched the water with the tips of my fingers. _"Freeze Over."_ I commanded in my head.

Nothing happened.

"Ok, that didn't work." I muttered, opening my eyes.

Suddenly, a wise voice entered my head.

_"You must embody the Water element. True elements cannot be controlled. You must become them, feel them in the very core of your being. The stream has a will of its own. To bend its will--to change it--you must become it, thus, changing yourself." _

"Who said that?" I called. _"Me." _I caught sight of the glowing white outline of an owl, eyeing me with its all-knowing gaze, perched atop a tree on the other side of the stream.

My mouth dropped.

"Who are you talking to?" Alex asked.

"Nobody." I squeaked.

_Now furry woodland creatures are talking to me?_

"Let's try this again." I muttered.

Once again, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This time imagining every cell of my being a part of the moving stream. I felt my life-energy pouring into the stream, and the stream's pouring into mine. It didn't hurt, but it was draining. I became light-headed, and my limbs felt heavier. But I heard the crackle as the water solidified, and opened my eyes to see a solid path before us.

_"Now, was that so hard?" _

"No, it was pretty easy actually." I replied.

"Um, Jess, we didn't say anything. Is that watch--" Roxas spoke, but I interrupted him.

"I'm fine. Let's cross!" I said, sprinting across the icy path.

I thought I would slide, but somehow my body adapted on its own. Roxas nimbly glided across the ice, and joined me quickly on the other side. Alex was slower, but caught up to us soon enough too.

I felt the owl's presence above, _"Sorry, I realize that your friends can't hear me. The Red Being is further ahead." _The owl was following us.

_"Could you just go away? You're makin' me sound crazy. Besides, how come __**I**__ can only hear you? The deers weren't talking to me." I thought._

_"I was created the moment you activated that device on your wrist. I am your guardian, the silent protector of the forest...an extension of your awareness and being. Our life energies are the same." _I looked at my hand, and saw that my life energy was also a glowing, pearly white.

"There he is! It's Axel!" Roxas yelled.


	34. Chapter 33

**Jess' POV**

"Looks like you found me, but was this really necessary?" Axel asked, nodding to the ice that pinned him to the tree.

I shrugged, "It's easier than ropes. Now, talk. Where's Larxene?"

Light snow drifted into the icy clearing. My owl friend nestled on the branch of a nearby tree, her eyes scanning the forest.

"I don't know. She probably went into town or something. She rip portaled somewhere and left me here in the wilderness." Axel sighed.

"Some comrade." Zack added. He had transformed into a wolf to stay warm.

"Organization XIII doesn't believe in honor or loyalty. Everyone advances their own cause." He spit in the snow.

"So, what's your cause then?" Alex interrogated, bending down to be eye-level with Axel.

Axel cocked his brow, and smiled crookedly, "I'll help you find Larxene, and destroy the Organization."

He sounded like he was serious.

Roxas smirked, "I know we didn't just track you down so you could offer your help. What's in it for you?"

"That's harsh coming from my best friend." Axel smiled, sheepishly.

I replied, "Don't avoid the question Axel."

Axel's cold gaze rested on me, "She's the reason why you've changed Roxas. You used to be one of us, but now you're weak! You were my best friend--you were the only thing that made existing worth-while! Now they've stolen you from me! And there's only one way to make up for that..."

"Do you know what it feels like to be eaten alive, Axel?" Zack threatened, baring his sharp teeth.

Roxas tried to persuade him. "It doesn't have to be this way. We're still best friends. We'll always be best friends, but they're my friends too."

"Then...we'll all be friends." Axel said.

"What?!" Zack, Alex, and I cried in unison.

"In exchange for my help, I want to become human. No more data. No more nobodies. Just me and my thoughts." Axel smiled.

"So what? You become human, then betray us? I know you Axel. You've never hesitated before to ride the fine line between trustworthy and traitor." Roxas said.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Alex poked Axel.

"All I want is to keep my best friend and be whole again. That's the honest truth. Tyler didn't have to leave Larxene, Vexen, and me back at the mansion, but he knows--and the whole Organization knows--that we won't survive here.

If you left Larxene alone, she'd eventually disappear because she's just data. Their plan is to loose us on the town, and distract you from the bigger picture. They knew you'd either destroy us or imprison us, like you did to Vexen. And by the time you found out about their GRAND SCHEME, it'd be too late." He sighed.

"So you guys are just sacrifices? That's pretty cold." Zack said, his hard facade melting.

"How do we know you're not lying?" Alex poked Axel again.

"Hey--can you cut that out! It's not like the Organization's coming to save me or the others. Larxene had more power than me, but I'm almost out. I'll disappear soon. If that happens, everything I'm offering you won't matter unless you make me human. How far could I run? How long could I hide...until I disappeared? I don't want to be in the Organization forever. I want an alternative." Axel said, firmly.

"He has a point." I reasoned. Then, tilting my head to the side, added, "Wait, then what's the bigger picture?"

"I don't know. They just told us to distract you at all costs." Axel shrugged. He sounded genuine.

"Well, at least we know something's up. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Thanks Axel. We have to find Larxene as soon as possible! But first...we'll keep our end of the deal. We wouldn't want you disappearing on us. Roxas, can you get us back home?" Alex asked. Zack transformed to his normal form.

Roxas opened a rip portal.

I knelt beside Axel and melted the ice away with my hand. Then, I turned my 'Second Vision' off, and reverted back to my original form. Warmth returned to my body, surging through my veins. My vision returned to normal, and with it, my detachment from all life-energies. The only presence I could feel was the owl's. Our deeply rooted connection remained.

_"Can I come too?" _The familiar wise voice asked. I turned to the owl, who had landed soundlessly on my shoulder.

Her lovely feathers matched the color of snow, and felt like velvet beneath my fingers. Her eyes were a soft violet. She let out a deep rumbling at my affectionate touch.

_I replied, "Of course, but I have a little job for you. You saw Larxene in my head, right? Try to track her down, and report to me via thoughts the minute you see her! I'm not gonna wait for Axel to make good on his word. He could be lying, you know."_

_"I sensed nothing but honesty from him, but if you say so." _

_"What's your name? Do you have a name?"_

_"My name is SnowyMoonHope."_

_"That's a mouthful...how about Fuzzy?" I wondered._

_"No." She replied, eyes narrowed._

_"How about Snow? Snow is a simple name."_

_"Fine. Humans must simplify everything. They cannot fathom the complexities and wonders of nature. Instead, they must control it, and find every possible way to hinder and manipulate it." She muttered._

"It's just too many words for one person to handle, okay?!" I replied, annoyed.

I covered my mouth with my hand, but it was too late. Everyone was staring at me like I was either insane, or mentally inept. They looked between me and the owl still perched on my shoulder.

Axel snickered, "Did she just talk to that bird on her shoulder? Does anyone else find that disturbing, or is this the usual?"

"I'm not crazy!" I waved my hands. "When I activated the watch, I became in-tune with nature, and developed an extremely heightened awareness of all the life around me. I also created this owl. She's an extension of my awareness and being. She's my guardian."

"That's absolutely fascinating! I've gotta do tests on it later!" Alex raved.

I choked out a gasp, "No! Fly Snow!" Like lightening, Snow shot off into the sky towards town, fading into the gray-blue sky.

"You gave it a name?" Axel ridiculed.

"Axel, shut up." Roxas replied.

"Are we gonna go home, or not?! I'm freezing my ass off." Zack gestured toward the still open rip portal.

Roxas grabbed my hand, and we stepped through. The others followed.

The rip portal led to Alex's living room. It was dark, but I knew his house like the back of my hand. The largest room on the first floor was their living room, with nothing in it but a flat screen TV, coffee table, and their long family couch. There were no walls separating the kitchen and the living room. Moonlight from the nearby kitchen window swept into the room, revealing a dark figure sprawled out on the couch. Alex gasped, and flipped on the lights.

Riku was spread out on the living room couch, digging into a bag of potato chips. He sat up and stretched, letting out a huge yawn, and pretended like he hadn't even seen us.

"I wondered when you guys would get here."

It all happened too fast for me to remember who moved first. A fire ball materialized in Axel's hand, Roxas summoned his key-blade, Zack morphed into a snake, Alex's eyes glowed yellow, and static sparked from his hair. A mist of ice came out of my hand, freezing Riku's feet to the floor.

"No need to be hostile. I only came here to help." Riku eased.

"I'm sure." I replied.

"The Organizations' planning to throw your world into complete chaos." Riku said.

Zack laughed, "We already got the message."

"You know about Operation Bridge?" He asked, surprised.

We all looked cluelessly at one another, our guard faltering. He smiled at our ignorance.

Zack groaned and dragged towards the kitchen, "I'm gonna order some pizza. You guys want toppings?"

"Plain's fine." Roxas replied. Roxas, Alex, and I brought three chairs from the kitchen, and positioned them around the couch. Axel took a seat on the floor.

Before Zack picked up the phone, it started ringing.

"It's Becky...but I'll let it go to the answering machine." Zack muttered.

After the beep, we heard her breathing into the phone.

"I--I just--well..." She stuttered. Her pauses made her sound reluctant, like she was afraid to let the words come out of her mouth. After a moment of silence, she sighed, and launched straight to the point:

"I was debating whether to call you or not, but this is important. A lady came by my house today asking about your whereabouts. She was persistent, but I told her you guys were at home--sleeping--and that she was wasting her time. She was carrying a badge that said _Police_ on it. It could be a fake, but she's got you guys under surveillance.

I just wanted to warn you to watch out, she's been in a van two houses from your house for two hours now.

But what if she's not wasting her time? What if you guys really are hiding something? Jess, you're my best friend. But I hope you would have enough sense to let me know what's up every once in a while. We hardly hang out anymore. You're either busy, or you're gone...

I know you guys have been hiding something from me...probably from the whole town...and I'm tired of it! If you don't tell me what's up, then you leave me no choice but to investigate on my own. Call me back with an answer, or don't call at all!"

She hung up.


	35. Chapter 34

**Jess' POV**

We were all sitting in a circle on the carpet, in the middle of the living room.

"What's this Operation Bridge about? And why would you come here to help us?" Alex asked Riku, eyes narrowed.

I had a feeling that it had something to do with Roxas. DIZ hated the Organization, but why would he do anything to help us?

Riku let out a sarcastic chuckle, "Trust me, I personally don't care about you Roxas, but I do care about Sor---well, DIZ doesn't want Roxas to fall into the Organization's hands. As long as I'm here, that won't happen. We're just trying to protect our assets."

I interjected, "Whatever DIZ wants, he's not gonna get it. We're protecting Roxas."

Riku clenched his fist and stood up, staring down at me defiantly.

"He's not yours to protect! He doesn't even belong to your world! Nothing you say will change his destiny." He replied, summoning Soul Reaper.

Roxas shot up to stand between us. "My destiny's right here. If you just came here to promote your best interests, then I suggest you leave. NOW."

Riku dismissed Soul Reaper, and sat back down.

Suddenly, my mind blanked and I was above the woods near town. I was flying at a hundred feet in the vast gray sky, scouring the forest floor below. Though the black trees and the gray horizon seemed to blur together, I spotted a swift yellow dot running through brush. Her billowing black cloak glided through the air behind her. She was fast as lightening…Larxene.

Then, I was back again in Alex's living room. Someone was nudging my leg.

"Jess, are you okay?" Zack called.

"I just saw Larxene from Snow's Point of View." I replied.

Then, Snow's concerned voice rang in my head, "_Larxene's heading for the mall! I don't know what she's up to."_

Roxas and the others looked at me curiously. "I have to go stop Larxene! She's heading for the mall. Alex, can I take your Mom's car? It's the only way I'll get there fast enough! I have a learner's permit."

Roxas interrupted though, "No, it's ok, I'll just rip portal you there! I have a score to settle with Larxene anyway."

Alex pursed his lips, "But Roxas, we need you here. Jess has Snow, I'm sure she can handle herself. If she needs help, we'll send Zack."

"But—"

"I'll be okay Roxas, don't worry. Besides, it wasn't a fair fight last time 'cause she had powers. Now we're even! I'll see you guys in a bit." I waved to the others and headed for the garage.

"Ok, you can take my Mom's car, but drive slow!" Alex warned.

"Yeah right…" I muttered under my breath, as I slipped out the side door into the garage.

I grabbed the car keys from the key rack on the wall beside the door. I was about to dash to the driver's side, when I saw a shadow reflected in the glass of the passenger side window. Shaken, I turned around to face…Roxas.

"Be careful, Larxene's dangerous. And fast." He reminded.

"Ha, and you are too apparently. I didn't even see you there." I grinned, leaning against the car door.

"I want you to remember what I'm about to tell you, it's very important. Be sure…that YOU strike first. It'll put her off-guard. Do not let her get the upper hand. OK?"

"Are you coaching me?" I chuckled. He came to stand in front of me.

"I know what she's like. I was a bad guy, remember? Of course I'm coaching you." He smiled, squeezing my shoulders lightly with both hands.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry." I smiled.

Actually, I was sort of was afraid that Larxene might be able to kick my ass. During our last confrontation I outsmarted her, but what if I couldn't do that this time?

Roxas was still holding my shoulders, looking into my eyes deeply. I tried looking away, but I think it was too late. He saw the doubt in them, and his smile faded.

"You're scared. I can see it in your eyes. Seriously, are you sure I shouldn't--" He whispered.

His face was pretty close to mine. I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest.

"I'll be fine. Besides, Alex needs you here." I assured.

That's when it happened…he drew me into a hug. He was so warm, and he smelled like the musky forest trees…ha but maybe that's because we were in a forest for most of last night.

"Stay safe, but annoy the hell out of her…" He whispered in my ear.

"I'll make sure I do." I replied, as I drew back from our embrace to look at him.

His blue eyes were so clear and bright…like the bluest sky. He moved in closer and I leaned towards him…we were about to close the remaining distance between us…our lips about to meet…

"Hey, lover-boy, can you stop making out with your girlfriend? They'll be plenty of time for that later. The world could possibly end in 2 seconds y'know. Ka-boom! Just like that! And it'd be all your fault." Axel's voice echoed behind us.

I was so embarrassed! I felt my face getting hot and red.

Roxas turned his head toward Axel to glare, "I don't know what human life you're talking about, 'cause after I'm finished saying goodbye, you're toast!"

Nervously, I stepped back from Roxas, "Alright, I'll see you two later! Larxene's still out there y'know." I couldn't even look him in the face after that.

I slipped into the driver's seat. Roxas looked anxious as I closed the car door, but he waved anyway.

Twisting the keys in the ignition, I opened the garage door as the car's engine rattled to life. I put the car into Drive, and coasted out of the garage.

In the rear-view mirror, I saw Roxas dash after Axel playfully as the garage door closed.

But now I had another problem.

The secret agent lady was still there. Her conspicuous gray van sat in front of the house, and her beady green eyes bore through the windshield at me. As I turned onto the street and drove out of the neighborhood, her large gray van snuck up behind me...

**Zack's POV**

"While Jess is handling Larxene, I'll take care of Becky." I insisted. Alex looked at me thoughtfully, and then let out a deep sigh.

"Zack, don't tell her the truth. This is top secret information. She may not understand, and it could endanger her life." Alex warned.

Axel and Roxas came back into the living room, fake punching one another.

"You haven't known Becky for as long as I have. Don't worry, I'll deal with it." I rebuked.

Roxas added on my behalf, " Either way, it couldn't possibly be as bad as having Riku here."

"I'm still here people!" Riku said.

"Fine, I'll leave Becky to you. But don't screw things up, please." Alex pleaded.

"Don't worry." I grabbed my coat and went out the back door leading to the backyard. I walked through our backyard to Becky's—since they were linked—and knocked on Becky's back door.

Through the ivory lace curtains draping the back window, I could see Becky's mother in the kitchen cutting carrots on a cutting board. The sound of a news cast on TV droned on in the background. Soon, I could see Becky's shadow approaching the door, and hear the loud squeaking creak as she opened it. She looked tired--bags under her eyes—and a little sullen, but she did one of those half smiles to let me know she was still her old self.

"Hey Zack, how are you doing? Where's Jess?" She asked, looking behind me.

"She's out doing errands…I came to talk to you on her behalf too." I nodded.

"Oh, so you got my message. Well, come in." The smile faded from her face, and she was suddenly serious.

"Thanks." I replied, as she led me inside and closed the door.

She was about to walk away when I tapped her on the shoulder. "You should lock the door."

"Why? This neighborhood's pretty safe." She replied.

"Um…I heard that bears…have been going through people's garbages at night! You, uh, never know these days…haha…"

Well, that wasn't the line I had in mind…but I had to say something! I'm sure that a locked door wouldn't stop Tyler or the Organization from doing anything, but…I think I just wanted to feel safe. If she had a clue as to what could possibly—well, what was already going down in this town, she'd want to do more than just lock her door.

She gave me a strange look, but turned and locked the door anyway.

"We've both lived here for a while. This neighborhood's pretty safe." Becky replied.

"Hi, Zack, how's school going? And how's your mother and father?" Becky's mom beamed, looking up from her carrot cutting. This lady was always so perky. It's obvious where Becky gets it from.

"They're doing well, and school's well…you know, the usual." I replied, shrugging.

"Ah, I see. Well, I'll leave you and Becky alone now. But if you go upstairs, keep the door open." She smiled, as we headed toward the stairs.

"Sure, Mom. Zack, let's talk about that huge assignment you have to do for Spanish." Becky said falsely.

As we were climbing up the stairs, I overheard the news cast on TV.

**"_This is really serious. A woman with blonde short hair has taken the local Mall's Santa Claus hostage. Authorities have not yet identified the woman, or why she's doing this." A female news reporter said._**

**_A masculine voice replied, "That correct Jane, I'm outside the mall right now. All she keeps repeating is that if the "real worlders" don't—"_**

"Hold on, Becky, I have to see this!" I hopped over the banister, and ran into the living room to watch the TV.

The scene had shifted to the mall, where a tall man (the news caster) wearing jeans and a windbreaker, was standing outside of the mall entrance.

**"_I'll show you what it looks like inside. We've got a man in there wearing a hidden camera. John, how's it going?"_**

The scene shifted to the inside of the mall. The man was on the second level, his camera pointed down over the scene to show a blonde woman in a black cloak, holding a traumatized Santa Claus in a strangling head grip with her arm.

"_**I'll make my demands only once! I know that the real worlders are watching! If they don't rear their ugly heads in the next 10 minutes, this man will die!" Larxene yelled.**_

**_The news man's voice came back on, "Mall police and authorities have tried to penetrate the building, but a mysterious electrical meltdown has jammed the security system, and locked all the doors, keeping everyone out! _**

**_When people try to get close to her, she shoots out a bolt of lightning that keeps them away. I don't know who the real worlders are, but if they exist, they better get out here! This story's already on national news!"_**

"Great, now the media's on us." I muttered quietly.

"What did you say? Do you know her?" Becky asked.

"Well…she looked familiar but, no resemblance to anybody I know…but seriously, she can't be on national news, right?" I asked.

"Let's turn to CNN." Becky said, turning the channel.

O-M-G, the video of Larxene was on CNN.

I took out my cell phone and texted Alex, "Larxene's national, turn on TV."

"Why isn't Jess there yet? We can't let people know about us, or the Organization." I thought inwardly.

**_The CNN news guy interjected, "We've gotten reports that this woman resembles a character named Larxene, in a video game called Kingdom Hearts. Is she just a crazy fan who's lost her mind?" _**

I clicked the TV off.

"Becky, let's go upstairs. We have to talk." I headed for the stairs. Becky gave me another strange look, like I was hiding something.

Becky's room was sort of similar to Jess', except Becky loved the color blue, for the sea. A collection of shells adorned her desk in the corner of the room by her bed. Everything in her room—her drapes, bedspread, and walls, which were varying hues of sea blue, made you feel like you were in an oceanic paradise. I'd forgotten over the years how much she loved the ocean, and being in the water.

She closed the door.

"About the door, I thought your Mom said—"

"You're not leaving until you tell me what's going on!" Becky yelled.

"So now you're holding 'me' hostage?" I joked.

"Well, since we're spending quality time together, why don't you take a seat in my desk chair?" She gestured, rolling the chair over to me. She sat on the side of her bed, and I sat down too.

"Well, this is going to be a thrilling experience. I've always loved interrogation." I smirked.

"So, what have you been up to?"

"Just extracurricular stuff…outside of school." I replied.

"What kind of extracurricular stuff?" Becky demanded.

"Volunteer work. Our parents want us to get into a good school, y' know."

"I haven't seen you at any of the volunteer functions in this town. Which volunteer organizations are you a part of?" She asked.

"Um, Red Cross." I blurted out.

"I didn't see you at the blood drive two days ago, or at any of the other events." She countered.

"Well, we're doing a different kind of volunteer work; it's sort of a secret. We can't really talk about it." I whispered playfully.

"What are you hiding from me?" Becky's eyes narrowed.

"Nothing Becky, I just can't talk about it."

"…Are you guys are on drugs?"

"…What? No! We're not on drugs! Are you crazy? Wow, great guess Becky. Either way, telling you isn't gonna change anything." I said.

She smirked, and I knew instantly there was a catch. "Then maybe speaking to the weird police lady will!"

At first, I was just having fun with her, but I knew it was time to be serious.

"Becky…This is delicate information. No matter what happens…you have to trust us. Can you do that?" I asked.

She got up from her bed, and walked over to the window overlooking the street. I couldn't see her face.

"Zack, I've known you and Jess for a long time--since we were kids. Whatever it is, you can trust me. I want to be there for you guys and help out…you don't have to leave me in the dark." As she said this, her voice got lower and lower, until it was barely a whisper.

I rose from my seat, and went to stand by her side near the window. I placed my hand on her shoulder. She didn't look me in the eye, yet I could see the betrayal she felt. Dammit! She looked like a sad little puppy…like I was crushing all her freakin' hopes and dreams!

"Dammit, they're all gonna get on my case for this! I'll never hear the end of it! But I can't just do nothing! Becky, I know you want to help, but we're fighting a battle. Safety is an issue.

It'll be hard for you to stay detached from all the possible dangers out there. Are you sure you want to get involved? And if you do, can you promise to keep it a secret?"

"…Zack, I'm your best-friend. I'm here to help you, and I've always been here to help you. Whatever the risks are, I'll be there for you and Jess. I promise that I won't tell anyone. You can trust me." She assured.

But then she added, "Promise that you'll protect me!" She said, poking me in the chest.

I could feel myself turning red, "What? Ok…I…um…I promise I'll…protect you Becky."

"Look me in the eye when you say it! I won't bite." She smiled.

"You just wanna torture me, don't you? It's hard enough being your friend."

"…Really? You…feel that way?" She asked, looking at me more deeply now.

"No, I um…forget it, I'm just joking with you…ha, April Fool's!" I grinned.

"It's not April…" Becky laughed.

"Ha, I know. Well, that was pretty lame…I'll come up with something better next time." I choked out, embarrassed. I was staring at my feet.

"You're a good friend Zack." Becky said, using her hand to tilt my chin up toward her.

"But, I lied to you a second ago. I'm sorry, but the fewer people involved, the fewer we'll hurt. **I do know that blonde-haired woman on TV.** She's a part of a group we're fighting to keep out of this world. **That group is called The Organization, and Jess is going to the mall to stop her as we speak.** It all started when Alex created…"

**Jess' POV**

**"_Snow, do you see any routes overhead I can take to lose her?! This lady won't get off my tail!" I thought to Snow. She was flying steadfastly above the car_**

**"_No, I don't see anything! You're going to have to think of something fast! The mall's not too far away." Snow replied._**

Suddenly an idea popped into my head. **_"Snow, I have a plan! Go ahead and stop Larxene, I'll catch up with you. You can distract Larxene, right?"_**

**"_Yes, I can hold her off for a while, but in the long-term she's stronger than me. You're the only one who can end her." Snow replied._**

**"_Alright, go ahead and I'll be there soon!" I said. _**

I was already in town, only five minutes away from the mall. Towns in upstate New York aren't really that big, the further upstate you go the smaller the towns become. My town is pretty small. Outside of the town there are a lot of trees and thick woods. Then, when you enter town a bunch of restaurant chains pop up. There's a McDonalds, Dairy Queen, a few local diners, a Walgreens pharmacy, a few local stores, and Starbucks. Once you reach Starbucks, you're about two minutes away from the Mall.

I drove past all the other places, and parallel parked at the Starbucks. As I got out of the car, I could see out of the corner of my eye that my stalker was parking her van too.

**"_Alright Jess, you can do this." I encouraged myself._**

I slipped inside the Starbucks café, and ran all the way to the back of the café-- where the bathrooms were.

"I can't hide in the bathrooms…what do I do?" I wondered aloud.

I heard the bell ring as another customer stepped in. Hugging the back wall closely, I peered over slightly to see who it was. The weird lady stepped inside the front entrance, her green snake eyes surveying the room. I felt my hands getting arctic cold as I focused on her, and looked down to see that I was forming ice spots on the wall!

"Whoa…I didn't know I could use my powers without activating the watch! Are these the effects Alex was talking about?"

Then, I looked behind me to see that there was a back door!

Yes! Well, I'd have to ask Alex those questions later. I opened the back door slightly, and saw that it opened up behind the café. It probably led to the street!

I smiled devilishly to myself, and rushed out the back door. I did a 180 around the café, and ran through the narrow alley way back to the car. I was about to open the car door when I got an insane idea:

**She wouldn't be able to get anywhere if she couldn't get into her car, hehe… **

I sprinted over to her vehicle and looked around to make sure no one was staring. I pretended to look inside while I placed my hands on the lock.

**"_This is for being annoying! I have people to save, and meanwhile you're being a pain in my ass." _**

I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the gears of the lock. The cold spread from my hands to the lock, and I could mentally feel tufts of ice wrapping around all the nooks of the gears. I doubled over to the other side and did the same thing.

I looked inside her car and saw an elaborate spread of flashing machinery on the dashboard. It looked very similar to Alex's technology. I took a mental picture of it and ran back to my car.

I was starting the engine when she came out, a confused look on her face.

I smirked, then put the car into Drive and sped off. I drove past the stretches of woods between the town and the Mall. Then, the Mall came into view.

As I pulled into the mall parking lot, a beacon of flashing blue and red lights obscured the doors into the Mall.

**The Police. Great.**

Police cars scattered the parking lot, blue and red lights illuminated the scene. As soon as I pulled in, a police man near the entrance waved his arms and blocked the car's path. I couldn't run him over, so I stopped last minute--jerking forward, and rolled down the driver's window.

"No civilians are allowed here. This is a dangerous situation. You have to turn back NOW." He ordered.

"But there's somebody in there I need to get!" I yelled.

"We'll handle it ma'am. Right now, there's an owl in there takin' a crack at her. We don't even know where it came from, but…wait, why am I telling you all this? DRIVE AWAY."

**How was I going to get in?** It wouldn't look too good if I mowed this guy down. But then again, that didn't seem like such a bad idea. No, I needed to do this legally.

"Ok, officer. Thank you." I replied politely.

I drove out of the mall parking lot, and onto the main road. I needed to find a blind spot, away from all the cops. But where?

**"_Jess, I need your help! She struck my wing…I'm sorry I was careless. She's overtaking me!" Snow exhaled sharply. _**

**"_Don't worry Snow, I'll be there soon! Just hold on! I'm sorry!" I replied._**

That's it! No one was going to stop me! Forget about rules! No one was going to hurt Snow!

I swerved the car to the side of the road, near the outskirts of the woods. I hopped out making sure the door was locked, and then sprinted to the Mall. The chilly December air washed over me as I made my way back into the parking lot. I hid myself behind the massive bushes the streamlined the entrance to the parking lot.

**"_I can't just run out there as my normal self. Time to change."_** I activated the watch.

My skin turned hard and cool as ice, and the world became mere colorful shapes and auras.

I needed a distraction. As I thought to myself, a cloud of mist surrounded me. Wait, duh! I could make fog! What the hell was I standing here for?

I closed my eyes, and focused on filling the entire space of the parking lot with fog. Suddenly, the sky became gray, and clouds of water droplets began to form until the entire parking lot was a covered in a white blanket of mist.

I could see some of the cops wandering around aimlessly. I maneuvered past them and the cars as I navigated easily through the mist.

"We've got an emergency! I don't know what just happened, but it's like someone turned out a fog machine or something!" The cop who turned me away yelled into his radio.

I was almost there! I was opposite the entrance, facing a towering wall on the side of the mall. Well, since the police were blocking the entry, there was no other way inside but UP.

**"_Please, Jess…I'm…" Snow faded. I grabbed my chest--a sharp pain tugged at my heart—Snow's pain._**

**"_No! Stay with me, Snow! I'm coming to save you!"_**

Using the ice to get leverage on the wall, I crawled up the side of the building.

Hurling myself over the top (which actually hurt because I knocked into an air conditioning vent), I scanned the roof for an opening to get inside. I found an overhead glass window, and looked inside.

Larxene was directly below me, standing in the middle of the mall. She was on a platform where the nativity was supposed to be…except it was in ruins. A group of scared people were in the audience. Many of them were on the ground or standing there motionless. To her left, was a tied up Santa Claus. Lastly, she was holding a small limp figure in her grasp, showing it to the audience. It was white and furry…Snow!


	36. Chapter 35

**-----------------------Tyler's POV (an event that happened **_**right before**_** Riku went into the real world)**

The remaining members of The Organization sat a large, round white table. Xehanhort, of course, had the largest seat, while Saix, Luxord, Zexion, and I had seats of about the same height. The meeting hadn't started yet, but everyone stayed quiet. For some reason, the room was colder than usual that day…I was glad to be wearing my heavy black cloak. Xehanhort's eyes were fixed on a report he had in front of him, then suddenly, his eyes narrowed. At that moment, we could all feel a new, unfamiliar presence in the room.

"You can come out now Riku. We won't bite." Xehanhort chuckled darkly.

I looked in the far corner of the room and saw the dark figure of a tall, cloaked man. It was hard to see his face, but then he entered the light, and his facial features became more evident. Icy, cold blue eyes and gray hair, like the color of the clouds during a fresh thunderstorm. In his hand, he held a purple blackish blade that looked like a bat's wing.

"I see you were expecting my arrival. I don't trust you Xehanhort, but we have a common goal." Riku replied, in a cold, detached voice.

"Please, take a seat." Xehanhort smiled evilly, gesturing to the seat across from him.

"No thanks." Riku replied.

"So why are you here Riku? To make a bargain concerning Roxas? We all know of the misfortunes with your friend, Sora. Yes, very sad. But, why should I help you…or Sora? Sora would just ruin all my plans…"

"According to my research, the real worlders are already successful at ruining your plans. I'm sure that if you had the mastermind behind those watches, you'd be able to take worlds at a faster rate than you are now." Riku stated, smirking.

"Roxas could still be of use to us…after all, he has the power to wield the key-blade. But I've already replaced Roxas with Tyler, who also has the ability to wield a key-blade. Having the scientific genius of that one real worlder would be better than just having the power of the key-blade." Xehanhort said, thoughtfully.

"Here's my proposal. I'll bring you Alex, but in exchange, I get to keep Roxas. The Organization will no longer interfere with Sora's Restorative Process."

The room went dead silent. Xehanhort and Riku stared at each other for a while, but neither one said a word.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Xehanhort responded.

The door opened slowly, until a girl of a small frame appeared. She wore a bright white dress, had light golden hair, and deep haunting blue eyes. So slowly—as if hesitating—she walked over gracefully to stand at the front of the table.

"Everyone, this is our replacement scientist. Her name is Namine. She has the ability to alter, re-create, and erase memories." Xehanhort introduced.

Zexion rose from his chair and pointed to himself, "But I thought I was your scientist!"

"Saix, Luxord; Remove him. Oh, and Namine, why don't you give everyone a demonstration of how your powers work? Don't worry Zexion, erasing your memory shouldn't take too long." Xehanhort chuckled.

"No!" Zexion screamed and thrashed, as Saix and Luxord grabbed both of his arms. They dragged him over to Namine, who still stood frozen with a blank, emotionless expression. They kicked Zexion's legs out so he had to fall to his knees before Namine.

A part of me couldn't believe this was happening. I mean, just yesterday Xehanhort had been commending Zexion for all his hard work concerning the watches.

_Why would Xehanhort betray an ally? Could he have easily tossed me aside too? No, it was Zexion's fault. _

Zexion had been too weak and slow. If he was truly a successful scientist, then he already would have de-coded the watches. The Organization couldn't afford to have any weak links. Besides, Xehanhort didn't trust anyone. It's not like he had any emotions of justice or loyalty to us. He didn't have a heart. And none of us truly felt any loyalty to Xehanhort either—just to the cause we fought for: contaminating worlds with the heartless/nobodies, and opening Kingdom Hearts. Xehanhort could have easily tossed me aside, but due to my real-worlder background, he probably thought otherwise.

She put her hand on his forehead, and her body began to emit a dark purple aura. In an instant—for at least five seconds—Zexion was screaming like his mind was being literally ripped apart, then he went unconscious.

"Send him to another world before he wakes up." Xehanhort dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Saix, Luxord, and the unconscious Zexion left the room.

Riku's cold, bored expression hadn't changed from a few minutes ago, but he was looking at Namine now. It was hard to see what was lurking behind his cold, apathetic mask.

"Tyler, go with Namine to the Lab to receive the report on the watches." Xehanhort commanded.

I nodded, and rose from my seat to join Namine at the door.

As we walked out into the stainless white corridor and closed to doors behind us, I overheard Xehanhort talking to Riku, **"You have a deal. Since you're on our side now, I'll tell you about Operation Bridge."**

When we were far enough down the corridor that no one could possibly hear me, I asked Namine a question that had been bothering me since she erased Zexion's memory.

"So you can erase anyone's memories, and give them new ones?"

"Yes." She muttered.

"So, if someone has a person that they hold very dear to them, you can make them forget about that person completely?"

"Yes, I can make them forget about their special someone. However, if the bond they share with their partner is strong enough, they can reverse the amnesia process." She replied, quietly.

"Thank you, Namine."

_Would it be possible to erase a person's memory of someone they care about…and __**make them only love you?**_

**----------------------Roxas' POV (back to the present)**

The laser gun let out a beeping screech as it started up, and suddenly, the Lab was engulfed in a blinding flash of light. Alex, Riku, and I were wearing protective goggles, so it wasn't completely overwhelming. As the light dissipated we took off our goggles…and Axel's form emerged.

"**Am I human now?" **

His fiery, red hair had become bleach white, but his eyes were still the exuberant green I'd always known them to have. Other than his hair, everything about him was the same.

Alex took a mirror out of his back pocket and said, "Take a look. Changing your genetic structure from DATA to DNA has a different effect on everyone. Roxas' hair turned from blonde to black."

Axel's mouth dropped when he looked in the mirror, "What the hell? How did my hair get this freakin' white?"

When we last fought with Tyler, the lab was a mess! But that had changed completely now…as soon as Zack and Jess left, we got to work fixing the Lab. We threw out the metal debris and scraps that were in the attic and the basement, and organized the majority of his failed experiments on a bookcase in the corner of the room.

Directly across from the bookcase—in the other corner—were three green, furry bean bag chairs. Alex had moved some bean bag chairs from his room to the basement. Alex said Zack would probably think it looked hippie, since next to that Alex put a small, orange lava lamp beside the chairs.

Opposite the bookcase and the small lounge area--lining the other side of the room—was a long, brown table. Three computers were spread across the table in a row (each with a keyboard), and the floor underneath the table was completely covered in multi-colored wires. A massive, flashing computer tower—Alex described it as, "the manpower behind the machines"--stood on the table.

Lastly, in the corner across from the station of computers were the giant silver plates that Alex had used to transform me into a human, and a small laser gun that rested on the floor. Axel was standing next to those plates now.

"I don't feel any different. But I won't disappear now, right?" Axel asked, scanning his hands for signs of change.

"You're all human now Axel." Alex replied confidently.

Riku groaned and interjected, "Are we just going to stand here and talk about HIM?" He pointed at Axel coldly, "The longer I stay here, the more power I'm losing, so let's get this over with!"

"Oh yeah, the longer a person with a DATA structure stays in the REAL WORLD, the more energy they lose. Eventually—if they stayed here long enough—they would die. But it works the other way around too. If Roxas and I went to the virtual world and stayed there long enough, we could die too from energy loss. Because we're DNA, and their world is DATA." Alex added, as he typed the details about Axel's transformation into a report on the computer. Then, he sat in one of his bean bag chairs.

Axel yawned as he took a seat in a chair beside Alex, and stretched his long legs on the other seat. Riku and I stayed on our feet.

Riku began, "Ok, enough with the long explanations, let's talk about business. As you already know, the Organization's new plot is _Operation Bridge_. They're using _ALEX'S technology_ to hack into the global network and open up portals around the world. In about 16 hours, they plan to use every device—PDA, cell phone, computer—anything that's connected to the Internet as a gate into the real world."

The room suddenly grew silent as everyone absorbed what Riku had just said.

Zack's voice suddenly came out of nowhere, "So we have less than 24 hours to save the world?"

He was at the bottom of the staircase, but he wasn't alone. By his side, hiding slightly behind him, was Becky.

His mouth agape, Alex rose from his seat to talk, "What is she doing here, Zack?"

"She's a new member of Team REAL WORLDER." Zack replied, unaffected by Alex's discontent.

"Didn't we talk about this earlier? You were supposed to—" Alex replied, slight aggravation in his voice.

"This was the best course of action." Zack said, determinedly.

"What's wrong with you? Are you out of your mind? She doesn't belong here! She'll just get in the way!" Alex raged.

"You're not the leader! You don't have a right to decide who belongs here or not!" Zack yelled, matching Alex's ferocity.

"I'm the leader 'cause I designed ALL OF THIS, and GAVE you your powers! Plus, I'm the only person here who is smart enough to save the world! I don't see you on that list, and judging by what you've done, it's clear that you're not responsible enough to do anything right!" Alex replied harshly, burning Zack with his words.

Zack paused, and then replied, "We can trust her, and I believe I was meant to tell her. We can't just leave people close to us in the dark about everything. Becky's a caring, responsible friend and she deserves to know the truth. I don't care what you think, but if you're SOOO smart then why don't you save the world on your own? I'm out. Let's go Becky." Zack snapped the platinum-hued watch off his wrist, and chucked it at Alex's feet on the floor. He stalked up the stairs and slammed the door shut behind him.

Becky, who hadn't moved yet, turned to face Alex. "I'm sorry. He really didn't want to tell me, but I sort of forced it out of him. Don't blame him. He asked me if I was willing to take the risks of knowing, and I told him I was. I want to help you all. I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble Alex. Please don't blame Zack though." Becky smiled, and then ran up the stairs to go after Zack.

The whole room was silent as Alex picked up the watch. He stared at it for a while thoughtfully, running his thumb across its silvery smooth surface. Then, he fell back into the bean bag chair and sighed.

I walked over to Alex and attempted to smile, hoping it would ease him. I nudged his shoulder, "Hey, don't worry. Zack will come around, and everything will work out between you two."

Riku, who was apathetic of the situation, continued to drill at Alex, "What do you plan to do about Operation Bridge? Are you going to infiltrate their hideout? I have a map of their place, and we can go in together."

"No, that's a bad idea. It could be a trap." I replied.

"Roxas is right. That wasn't my plan anyway. We're not going anywhere." Alex affirmed.

"What! Your world is at stake, and you're just going to sit here?" Riku boomed.

Alex slowly got up and walked over to the computers, "There's not much we can do by going there. They probably have heavy security around there anyway. I know they stole those two watches a while back, but even if we managed to bring those two watches back, it wouldn't change their plans.

They probably decoded the watches' technology already, and their scientists have probably developed the virus that's going to hack millions of active devices around the world.

They probably have a count-down for when the virus is gonna strike too. The only way WE can stop them…is to hack them first, before they hack everybody else."

Riku stood frozen in place, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Alex coldly.

"Do you need any help Alex?" I asked, going to stand by his side.

Alex replied, "I'm going to insert a virus into their system that multiplies itself simultaneously. That's gonna stall them for a bit. Then, while they're distracted, I'll steal some files from the watches (thus screwing up their data coding). When they try to activate the watches, the watches won't be able to function correctly."

As Alex started typing away at the computer, I backed away and went over to the lounge area to sit by Axel. Axel was snoozing away on the two bean bag chairs, his chest rising slightly as he let out a light snore. He was probably tired from the transformation process.

Alex turned towards the room and announced, "The first virus is about to stall their system, I'm going to activate the second virus now. This requires a lot of power—since I'm hacking a computer that's in another dimension. If the electricity acts weird, don't worry--everything's fine. But we might even have to use the back-up generator…"

Suddenly, Riku teleported in front of Alex and punched him in the stomach! Alex let out a sharp exhale of air as Riku pivoted behind him—twisting his arm behind his back!

Alex groaned, "Riku, what are you doing? I thought—"

Riku interjected, "Well you thought wrong. The scientist is coming with me! That was the deal, and nothing's gonna change that!" Riku smirked.

"Alex!" In an instant I was on my feet, the key blade in my right hand. Axel fumbled up from his sleep dazedly, unaware of what was happening.

A whirling, ebony spiral of darkness appeared behind Riku. He shoved Alex inside, and then stepped through himself.

While the gateway was still open I hurled myself through the darkness and followed them. The light of the basement shrank as I traveled further into the abyss, eventually fading entirely. Then, a new light appeared and became larger and larger…until finally, I had reached the end of the portal. I stepped through as the ribbons of darkness dissipated, and found myself in a familiar place.

**---------------------------Zack's POV**

I lay back onto the soft bed in Alex's attic (technically Roxas' bedroom). It was pretty much empty now, after the others had cleaned out the scrap metal earlier. The only thing that remained was the portable space heater and the twin-size bed on the other side of the room. I couldn't stop thinking about Alex's words since I had got upstairs.

**Did he really think that I couldn't be trusted? DID he trust me? **

"He's such a smart-ass sometimes. He really annoys me." I moped, spread out on the bed. Becky was sitting at the edge of the bed, and had been listening intently to my venting for about ten minutes.

"I explained to him that he shouldn't be mad at you. I did sort of force you to tell me." Becky consoled, patting my leg.

"But he should trust my judgment! He always looks down on me, and he's the short one! The kid's like 11 or 12 years old!" I complained.

Becky smiled, but just as she was about to say something, Axel's head popped up through the opening in the floor.

His hair looked more spiky than normal (besides the fact it was white), and he was out of breath, like he'd just had a panic attack.

"Oh, hey Axel. By the way, nice hair. Sorry I didn't comment on that earlier." I said, giving him a thumb up.

"Your cousin just got sucked into a rip portal! Riku betrayed us! He's in the virtual world now, and Roxas is too!" Axel yelled.

I looked at Becky—who was equally surprised—and shot up from the bed, "Did he carry out the second half of the plan? You know, activate the second virus? He told me about it when we were making the 2nd version of the watches."

"No, last I heard he was only stalling their system with the first virus." Axel replied, urgently.

I bolted down the ladder and quickly descended the staircase to the first floor. Axel and Becky followed closely behind. "We need to carry out the rest of the plan, and someone needs to go to the virtual world to get them back." I declared.

"I have a tracker on Roxas at all times, so wherever he is I'll teleport there." Axel added.

Finally, we descended the basement stairs and I immediately went to the computers. When I started typing away at the keyboard to begin the next sequence of the operation (Virus #2), Becky nudged my shoulder, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I've been hanging out with this kid for a few months now. Actually, I saw how he developed the viruses when he was building the 2nd version of the watches. I pretty much remember what he said…something about screwing up the coding in the watches." I replied.

Axel appeared on my other side, "When should I go get them?"

"Once the second virus is activated. It won't be long." I replied.

**--------------------------Roxas' POV**

I was on the white, grand balcony that branched off from my old bedroom…the bedroom I had when I was a member of the Organization. The glass balcony doors were locked, and Riku and Alex were nowhere in sight. I looked off the balcony to see if Riku had jumped to the white platforms far below, but all I saw was the ominous, black city in the distance. The towering, condensed city surrounding the Organization's hideout obscured the horizon in a gritty, numb kind of way.

A familiar deep voice spoke behind me, "Welcome home Number 13."

I turned around, ready to attack, "Where's Alex?!"

Xehanhort smiled.

Suddenly, another voice emerged, "You won't find him. He belongs with us now."

Tyler stepped out from a black portal, his black key-blade in hand.

"Where's Jess?" Tyler grinned as he asked.

"None of your business." I replied, angrily.

Tyler smiled dazedly like he reminiscing about something, then replied, "I really miss her… Have you ever kissed her before? She just tastes soooo--" I threw my key-blade at Tyler's head before he could finish, but he dodged it. The blade sparked as it ricocheted off the glass and landed back in my hands.

"I'll let you handle this Tyler. Other matters call my attention." Xehanhort said, disappearing into a rip portal.

Tyler smirked and gestured at the dent in the glass, "You have anger issues."

I laughed, "When Xehanhort's done using you, he'll throw you away too."

Tyler lunged at me. In one foul swoop, our blades met for a second--sparking crazily as they connected—then parted as we both stepped back. My back was still facing the end of the balcony. But two things suddenly became clear: (1) Tyler was there to distract me from the bigger issue. I needed to find Alex and get out of there. (2) Staying in the virtual world for a prolonged period of time could possibly kill us. I needed to get to him before I lost all my strength. Fighting Tyler any longer would only diminish my powers further.

"Hey, what's that thing behind you?" I said, pointing to a random spot on the glass door.

"Where?" Surprisingly, Tyler looked back and curiously stared at the glass. While his back was turned, I propelled myself off the balcony and landed on the hard, white platform below.

"You cheated!" Tyler whined, looking down at me from the above balcony.

"No, you're just stupid. No wonder why Jess doesn't like you!" I shouted back.

The entrance to the platform was open, revealing a long, wide white corridor. Luckily, this was all familiar territory. I sprinted down the long expanse, passing a series of white doors. But the one that led to the Lab was a floor below me. At the very end of the corridor was a wide spiral stairwell. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tyler shakily land on the platform on the other side.

He smirked, "I know every corner of this place. You CAN'T escape!"

He started running towards me as I descended the stairs. I rounded the corner at a breakneck pace, but I had to quickly stop short! Who else should appear at the bottom of the stairwell than Riku himself?

I aimed my key-blade at his chest, "Where is Alex?!"

Tyler appeared a few feet behind me, so I tilted my guard slightly to ensure that I was facing both of them.

"I'm taking Roxas. That was the deal!" Riku yelled.

Tyler laughed, and replied in a fake, kind voice, "Your help was very much appreciated, but nobody cares about your needs. Before he goes anywhere I'm getting my revenge!"

"No! He must be in top physical and mental condition when he returns with me!" Riku growled.

He darted toward me to grab me, but Tyler tripped me so I fell back and he took my place. He maneuvered through the first several blows from Riku, and then pushed Riku back forcefully with his blade. They stood frozen in their stances, both fighters poised to carry out the next attack.

Had Tyler just defended me?

"I honestly want to kill you Roxas!" Tyler said enthusiastically, like it was the only thing that mattered to him in the world. "But the Superior wants you alive, much to my disappointment." He added.

Tyler and Riku lunged at one another once again. Riku parried one of Tyler's attacks and nearly got him in the arm. Tyler dodged just in time as Riku's key-blade struck the floor where he stood with an ear-splitting screech.

They were so consumed in their sparring that they didn't notice me slowly inching down the stairwell. Tyler rolled onto the floor, avoiding a dark energy blast that Riku catapulted at him by inches. Then, Riku started doing this attack that made pools of darkness open up from the floor and flare up toward the ceiling, hurting anything it touched. Weak from Riku's other attack, Tyler fumbled to his feet and barely avoided the pools of darkness as they erupted from the floor. The flare-ups were so large that one part of the hall was completely covered in darkness. I took this opportunity to sneak down the hall and slip into the second door…which led to the lab.

I locked the door and turned to the massive, white room before me. A giant Master Computer was in the center of the room, and the key-board was so large that it stretched from one side of the room to the other.

I spotted Alex, unconscious, tied up in a chair.

At the keyboard, was a slender, young girl with golden blonde hair. I'd never seen her before.

She muttered in a small voice I could barely hear, "All programs are stalled? This doesn't make sense…"

Suddenly, she froze, as if she had sensed my presence too. She took her hands off the keyboard slowly. Then turned in a slow, graceful motion to face me, her white dress moving very slightly.

She seemed cold and detached--her eyes empty. Yet, she attempted to smile and went to stand beside Alex.

In a voice that sounded like the soft whistle of wind over grass blades, she said, "So, you must be Roxas? I've always wanted to meet you."


	37. Chapter 36

**Spider Man and The Power Rangers don't belong to me (a reference is made to them in this chapter), nor does Kingdom Hearts OR Square Enix. Btw, I never do this, and I'm not gonna say this all the time. It takes up space & I hate repetition. **

**Jess' POV**

Like a violent awakening, Larxene's voice boomed, "This is what happens when you cross me! No one stands a chance against me!" Snow crumpled over, almost unconscious in her grasp.

"_Snow's fading fast… Maybe I can give her my energy…"_

A small boy in the audience—he looked about seven years old—looked up at the ceiling and saw me. His eyes widened in alarm, but I held up my finger to signal him not make a noise. Larxene hadn't discovered my location yet.

I focused on transferring the flow of energy from my body to Snow's. Suddenly, Snow's opaque white glow brightened and grew larger, until she was saturated in it.

At first, her wing twitched. Then, when the glow was overpowering, she began to thrash wildly against Larxene's grasp.

"Stupid bird, what the hell is happ—AHHHHHH!"

Snow sprayed ice into Larxene's eyes and flew fast into the air!

As she fumbled backwards, I sprayed a gust of ice at her from above. The powerful gust forced her to fly back into the nativity ruins. A loud crash sounded as she hit the floor. She was rendered unconscious, lifeless on the ruins.

I jumped through the opening in the ceiling and landed on the platform in front of the audience.

They gasped in shock. The hostage Santa, tied up in Christmas light wires, cowered away from me.

"Stay away from me!" Santa cried frantically.

I put my hands up reassuringly, "I'm here to help you!"

The man paused for a second, like he was debating whether or not to trust me, with a shocked expression on his face.

"Where are the cops?" He asked.

"They can't get in here because Larxene screwed up the security system. They wouldn't be able to take her on anyway."

"And who are you? A cop?"

"No. I don't work with the police. I'm only here to get rid of her, and get everyone out." I pointed to Larxene, "I'm not here to hurt anyone, but if you want to get out of here safely, I suggest we act quickly—before she wakes up." I said, trying to persuade them.

I turned to the audience. They were silent, but their stares said it all:

**What is she? Her skin is blue. She's so different. Can she be trusted? **

I was an alien to them; an outsider. Only the little boy I had seen before—the one who saw me on the ceiling—looked at my blue skin with fascination and wonder.

It was difficult to meet their stares, but I needed them to trust me—even if it was just a little. If I shied away, I'd be giving off a message of doubt and uncertainly. So I kept my shoulders back proudly. The Santa man kept his silence and maintained the distance between us, but then he nodded his head and said, "Alright kid, you only got one shot at this."

I beamed. "I won't let anyone down! Now, stand still Santa. These wires are on tight." I formed a sharp, ice razor out of one of my fingers, and cut the rows of wires that were knotted around his body.

When I cut him loose, he cringed away and said, "She's waking up! You better handle this kid!" He ran off stage.

Everyone cringed away from the stage, stone-still in horror. I turned away from them and focused on Larxene. I could hear her erratic breaths from where I stood. She was on her knees now, hunched over in agony.

I debated whether or not to strike her…but in an instant her hand rose up and a lightning bolt went careening past my head! Her aim was off. I shot a burst of ice at her chest—pinning her to the floor. She couldn't move.

"So they sent the puny one to attack me!" She taunted, as she tried to wiggle free.

I let out a continuous spray of ice until her limbs were covered too. Then, only her head was left.

"Everyone will die! You can't escape it! The organization will destroy this world!" She screamed at me.

I put my hand in front of her face and replied, "Larxene, the Organization isn't even coming to save you. What kind of organization are they if they don't even care about you?"

I didn't give her time to answer. I sent one last wave of ice out of my hand, freezing her head in a thick layer of ice.

Her lips were a pale purple, yet her hateful eyes cut through the ice. They resembled the eyes of a demon. I felt my heart tremble. But at the same time, I felt like the worst was over…

Snow perched gracefully on my shoulder and nudged my ear warmly, rousing me from my contemplation.

"Thanks for your help Snow. I'm sorry though. I won't put you through anything like that again." I promised.

"_You're forgiven." _She replied kindly.

I took a deep breath, and turned back to the large crowd.

Concerned murmurs rose from all over the audience.

"Did you kill her?" A frantic woman's voice rose from the crowd. The murmurs ceased, and all eyes rested on me.

I looked back at Larxene's frozen body.

_Is she dead? No. I froze her, but she's probably still alive, just frozen in time. But I can't let these people know that, they'd probably flip! First, I have to get them out of here. _

"She's dead, so she won't harm you." I lied.

Sighs of relief spread throughout the crowd.

"But we have to get out of here now!" I countered.

_"The nearest exit is directly behind this stage, about fifty feet away. The doors are probably locked, but we can fix that." Snow informed._

"Alright, if you want to get out of here, follow me! Snow, lead the way!" Snow took flight into the air and flew behind the stage--in the direction of the exit.

I gestured for the crowd to follow. Reluctantly, they followed me down the long expanse of the mall.

The little boy I'd seen earlier rushed to my side as we were walking.

His auburn hair bounced as he asked, "Are you a super hero like Spider Man or The Power Rangers?!"

His Mom yanked him back and replied nervously, "What did I tell you about talking to strangers?"

"It's ok. Spider Man and the Power Rangers get their own movies. Ha, we're trying to do that…but _Square Enix_ hasn't agreed to anything yet. Ok, I'm just kidding when I say that. Really though, I'm not a hero. I'm just doing what's right."

"Then, doesn't that make you awesome like the super heroes? I wish I could shoot ice and beat up bad guys!" The boy replied eagerly, showing a huge grin. The kid's delight was contagious.

"You know, maybe one day you'll be a super hero in your own way. Just have faith in yourself." I replied, smiling.

We had finally reached the entrance, but—like Snow had said earlier—the doors were locked.

There were two sets of doorways in a row, and a latch on each door to unlock it. When I touched one of the latches to see if I could untwist it, a hot electric shock ran through my hand. I pulled away, but my hand felt slightly sore.

Suddenly, I recalled how I froze the locks on that secret agent lady's car. If I could freeze these locks, and then exert enough force on them—causing them to break—then the doors might open.

"_Snow, go to the other doorway, and I'll stand by this one. There's a lock holding the doors together. Maybe if we freeze it and then strike hard, it'll force the doors open." _

"_OK, we'll try it." Snow replied._

"Everyone, stand back!" I warned. The crowd receded a few feet away, staring with frightened curiosity at us.

"Alright, Snow." I signaled.

* * *

The doors were unlocked, and the crowd streamed through. Snow sat patiently on my shoulder.

Before the woman could pull her child away, the little boy broke free of her hold and ran to me excitedly.

"My name's Chris! What's yours? Will I ever see you again?" He grinned.

I smiled warmly, "You should go with your Mom and be safe. It's still dangerous here. Oh, and my name's Jess! You'll see me again someday, don't worry!"

The little boy hesitated, then smiled again, "Alright, see you again Jess!" He retreated back into his mother's arms, and they shuffled out.

Everyone was out of the building safely, but then a whole new problem arose. A few police men stepped forward, approaching me.

"I don't know what you are, but thanks for your help. We'll take it from here." One of them declared.

"Wait!" He was about to walk past me, but I pushed him back firmly with my hands.

Out of alarm, the other two cops pulled out their guns and aimed them at me.

I froze and replied, "She's still alive, and she's still in there! I froze her in ice, but she won't stay frozen for long. If she got out, your men wouldn't be able to stop her! People would get hurt! But I can stop her!"

"How can we trust her? I mean, look at her…" One of the men snickered coldly at me.

"She did just save all those people. If her intentions were bad, then that wouldn't have been the case." The man I had pushed back—the leader I presumed—replied.

But, the opposing one replied back, "Our handbook says nothing about letting—"

There wasn't much time. Larxene could've escaped from the ice at any moment. The police wouldn't have been able to take her. The choice was pretty obvious. I had powers like Larxene. I could hold my own against her!

But the police were power-less. A wave of bullets wouldn't do any damage against Larxene. It'd only make her more pissed.

Exasperated, I yelled, "Who cares about the stupid handbook or whatever! Who says that saving lives always involves following the rules?! I'm telling you—if you want to avoid unnecessary causalities, then you have to trust me! You wouldn't want the lost lives of your officers on your conscience. At least if the worst happened, I'd take her with me, trust me."

The men looked at me more seriously now, renewed hope in their eyes. A long silence ensued, no one moved, or said anything. Then, the leader nodded his head.

"We'll leave this to you then, but is there anything we can do to help?" He inquired.

"Yes. Barricade the exits on both sides of the mall. Don't let any of your men or civilians come in, and that'll make sure that the crazy blonde doesn't get out." I replied.

The leader turned to the two officers next to him, "Alright guys, let's start working on that request."

As the other men ran out urgently, the leader turned to me and said, "I hope you're right. We're putting all our faith in you."

Just as he said that, a huge explosion back inside rumbled the Mall! Snow flew off my shoulder and high above my head to get a better view.

"_Larxene's back!" Snow alerted._

The police man gave me an understanding look, "We'll lock and barricade the doors, go and stop her!"

I nodded, and gestured for Snow to follow as I sprinted back into the Mall. The air was laden with a light mist. The mist thickened as I neared the site where Larxene had been frozen. It was quiet and eerily still as I hopped onto the stage, and scoured the area for her.

In the place where she had been lying was a half-melted block of ice. She was nowhere to be found.

I hopped off the platform and into the giant square the audience had been standing in. A few wooden chairs were scattered about…but through my vision, I could see no life forms.

"_Snow, no matter what, don't get involved. You've already lost enough energy." I warned Snow._

"_Alright, but if it gets ugly I'm coming in." Snow replied._

_Then I thought to myself, "Did Larxene run away, or is she just hiding somewhere? I don't think she'd run away and let me live that easily…"_

I heard something move behind me, and turned around to see what it was.

Nothing.

Then, something snapped behind me and I unleashed a surge of water at it, just in time to meet a blistering bolt of lightning! The blows met one another, turning into a misty wind that flooded the area.

Then, through the mist, I saw four kunai headed for me, and dodge rolled to the side, as the silver knives whistled past me.

But suddenly, Larxene appeared in front of me, and I couldn't avoid her as she punched me hard in the stomach—I couldn't breathe—then pummeled me in the jaw, forcing me back on the floor before her. I landed on my back and closed my eyes. I'd never felt pain like that. My stomach was swelling with the burning pain.

"You should've brought your friends with you, because now you're going to die painfully and alone!"

She laughed bitterly, but her voice seemed far away. I wondered why, and opened my eyes.

She was in the air—she must've jumped—because she was high up above me, two kunai in her hand. But…she was coming down swiftly. If I didn't move she'd land right on top of me…crushing me…

I got up, clutching my stomach, and ran—I didn't know where yet. I heard her land on the floor behind me, and then the whistling of the kunai. I turned around quickly, grabbed a nearby small wooden chair, and used it as a block to catch the kunai.

But Larxene punched through the chair as soon as the kunai hit, aiming for my face. But I moved my head and grabbed her extended arm—which was stuck in the chair—and pulled her towards me, landing a knee thrust to her gut. She grunted in pain. While I did that, I iced up half her arm so it'd be stuck in the chair.

I kicked her forward in the stomach, and she fumbled back onto the floor, the wooden chair still stuck on her arm.

I sprinted away from her, and dodged behind a pillar. She sent stray bolts of lightning at me, but they all missed.

There were six, white decorative pillars surrounding the area—three on the left, and three on the right. I was on the right side of the room.

I breathed heavily, my mouth dry. It hurt to inhale and exhale, my stomach and jaw flared with pain. Then, I noticed a stinging pain in my thigh and looked down to see what it was. A fresh bloodstain soiled my pants; one of Larxene's kunai was lodged deep in my thigh—must've been from the first attack.

_Damn it._

"You don't think I have any tricks left?! Well you're wrong!" She yelled viciously.

If I didn't want to die, I had to break Larxene's concentration. Whenever she was distracted or angry, her fighting skills seemed to worsen. That could give me the opportunity I needed to put her in her place.

"Forget about what I said earlier. Maybe the Organization sent you to the real world because they didn't want to put up with you anymore. Do you know how annoying your voice is?" I taunted.

She snarled, "Shut up! Prepare for death because those were your last words!"

She melted the ice on her arm with lightning, and then tossed the chair aside.

Suddenly, the air became thick with friction and random sparks flashed throughout the area—snapping wildly. Larxene raised her arms towards the sky. Everything became very dark, and then…a rain of lightning erupted from the space above, sporadic bolts destroyed anything it touched, and I was surrounded by them! The bolts were everywhere! I sprinted through the minefield, avoiding a few bolts at first. But then one of the bolts caught me, surging through my left arm, paralyzing it! I cringed in pain.

I steered myself behind the third pillar, as the lightning assault ended. My arm twitched slightly, and it was going numb.

Things didn't look too great.

I had to keep pushing her though—I wanted to push her tolerance over the brink.

I groaned out the words loudly, "It's because of your temper that they don't want you. If someone as irresponsible as you was left in charge—with no supervision—you'd screw up everything. All the other members know you're crazy and delusional; they wouldn't let someone like you have access to Kingdom Hearts once the door opened. So they just sent you here so we could get rid of you."

"You're a liar!" She screamed.

I heard her running swiftly toward the pillar, and ran out from behind it and into the giant square just as she roundhouse-kicked it, sending shards of plaster and wood everywhere.

The wind from the blow sent me flying forward and I landed on my stomach.

At that instant, an idea struck me.

I shot a wave of water out of my functioning arm, and engulfed her head in a large bubble of water. I hardened the outside to be a layer of ice that kept the water in. She was writhing at her throat, struggling to get it off…but as her struggling lessened, I realized what I was doing to her…how I was killing her.

She was suffocating. She fell to the ground and continued to thrash.

Her widened, shocked blue eyes glared at me through the icy shell, despair and suffering clear in her pained expression. I realized…I was doing that to her.

I was taking her life.

I was letting her die in agony.

If I let her die like that, I wouldn't be any less humane than the Organization members. I'd be a murderer. There had to be a quicker way to end it than watching her suffer.

I turned the icy shell into water and let it fall to the ground. She lay there quietly, not moving or breathing.

_Is she dead?_

I leaned down over her motionless body, searching for signs of life.

Her lips were a pale purple, her skin paper-white. Strands of her wet short blonde hair clung to her face.

"But if she's dead, why hasn't she faded yet?" I wondered aloud.

Suddenly, her icy blue eyes popped open, and her hand lunged for my throat, locking me in a strangle hold!

Now I was the one gasping for air.

"Because I'm not dead you amateur!" She rose to her feet, lifting me off the ground as I thrashed.

She laughed even more wildly, "You couldn't do it, could you? You couldn't take my life! That's your weakness, that's why you'll never win a battle! But you see that's not a problem for me…"

Her crushing hold tightened on my neck. The room became blurry. Everything melded together.

I felt my breaths becoming labored. Her grip tightened even more. My throat burned like something hot was melting the flesh. My heart pounded swiftly in my chest—it was the only thing I could hear then. Larxene spoke to me, but I couldn't decipher her words anymore…the sound of her voice seemed to fade, like she was getting further and further away from me. But my heartbeat remained strong, pulsing in my ears. The only sound I could hear.

I tried to keep my eyes open, but my vision was deteriorating.

Suddenly, I felt a massive, overwhelming power in the room. The space illuminated with a strong blue light. The room felt cold, like I was in a freezer.

It wasn't coming from me or Larxene.

But then, I felt the pressure on my neck be released, and felt myself falling. Before I lost consciousness, I heard Snow's voice in the approaching darkness.

"_Icy Wind!"_

A blue icy beam consumed the room in a blue light, and Larxene's bloodcurdling scream pierced the silence.

* * *

**Author's Note: Review and let me know what YOU think. Constructive criticism and general comments are appreciated.**


	38. Chapter 37

**Hey everybody, sorry that updates have been slow, but school, clubs, and all my friends' trivialities really take up my time. I need to learn better time management...I'm really working on it though. Well, enough of the drabble, here's a short tidbit until my imagination starts working again...  
**

**~N.O.I.R. 2107**

* * *

In a voice that sounded like the soft whistle of wind over grass blades, she said, "So, you must be Roxas? I've always wanted to meet you."

"How do you know my name?" I asked, confused.

She pointed a finger at me, "Because, your existence…you've been given something Roxas, but eventually you're going to have to give it back. That's your destiny, and you can't avoid it. The little happy dream world you've been living in with the real worlders is a lie."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sora gave you his power, but eventually you're going to have to give it back."

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head…a foggy image flashed in my mind, yet it was sharp and distinct…like a memory that had been there all along:

**A girl with auburn hair, but her face was blurred…sitting next to her on a wooden dock…basking in the fading, orange glow of a summer sunset…waves lapping calmly against the shore, pushing and pulling, then breaking on the wet sand.**

**"_Sora, you promised!" The girl's voice chided. It was unfamiliar…yet somehow I knew it._**

I looked back at Namine confused, anger flooding through me.

"You saw her didn't you?" She asked, but it sounded like she already knew the answer.

Like she was playing a game with me.

A cruel game.

"I…I didn't see anything!" I replied shakily.

She paused, and then replied, "Whether you like it or not the process has begun. Sora is waiting for you. No matter how much you try to fight it, his memories will flood through you…overwhelm you. Eventually, it'll be too much to bear, and you'll have to return to Sora."

"I don't understand. Who's…Sora?" I asked.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Right after she said that, a piercing pain slashed through my back! As I fell forward, Riku's blade—receding from the blow—came into view from out of the corner of my eye. Dammit, I had been completely caught off guard! I landed on the ground, my strength draining out of my body, and my back stinging from the blow.

"Good job Namine." Riku commended.

As the pain coursed through my body and my strength deteriorated, I found it harder to keep my eyes open. I was slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

_I don't care who Sora is! I don't care if the happy little world I've been living in is a lie! _

_I liked living a lie…_

_I liked living! I want to keep living! _

_I want to be a real worlder…not a Nobody! Not a hollow being! _

_I want to feel…I want to smile and laugh, or even be sad…_

_I want to be real…_

Suddenly, Alex's voice beckoned me out of the darkness like a siren. I heard the chair shifting loudly from where he was, like he was struggling.

"Roxas, wake up! Riku, leave him alone!" He screamed.

I felt someone grab my arm—probably Riku—but then I felt the pressure on my arm release, and heard Riku scowl, "What the hell, how did you—"

"Get away from my best-friend!"

A new voice…Axel's voice.

Another voice added to that, "And we're taking the genius back!"

Zack.

_I have to wake up; I have to keep going, especially for my friends! _

_This fight isn't over yet! It's just starting!_


	39. Chapter 38

I opened my eyes, but the scene was hazy. It looked like two of everything was in the room. I summoned my key-blade, feeling the cool metal hilt in my hand. I used the blade to prop myself up, then turned around to face Riku. Axel and Zack surrounded Riku, so that we formed a triangle-like formation.

"What happened to Tyler?" I asked, the pain stinging in my back.

Riku smirked, "Why should you care? You should be more worried about yourself. You can't run Roxas."

I snarled, "Who said I was running?!" I lunged for him, landing the first blow. He blocked successfully, but I switched my free hand out at the last second, summoning OathKeeper, the blade swooped around…ready to pierce him in the side. He disappeared just before the blow hit its mark, vanishing a few feet behind me.

"Hey, did you forget that we're in the battle too?!" Axel yelled, launching his chakrams at Riku, leaving a red fiery stream in their wake.

Riku dodged them nimbly, smiling at Axel with overconfidence.

Before Riku could retain his guard, I threw Oblivion at him. He dodged it more clumsily this time, his stance unstable.

His guard faltered, this was an opening! I had to act fast! I teleported behind him, ready to deliver the deciding-blow.

Then, I heard Riku chuckle darkly, "You're just like Sora. Always thinking you're a step ahead. Well, what are you waiting for? Attack me."

"_**Sora, don't!" The girl's voice rang in my head, sorrowful. Another flash of her…her face hidden under a canopy of auburn hair, but I knew her eyes were sad, fearful.**_

I paused, uncertain now, my grip on Oath Keeper still tight. My blade was up, ready to execute the blow. I wanted to attack him, to stifle his ego, to show him I was better…better than Sora.

"Roxas don't listen to him!" Axel encouraged.

But…I couldn't unfreeze myself. I couldn't bring myself to strike him. Why?

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Riku taunted, his open back facing me.

"No, I'm not scared. And I'm not Sora, but…" I muttered. My words trailed off, becoming hollow and indistinguishable.

I teleported in front of Riku. My confidence waned slightly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zack run over to untie Alex. "Don't touch him!" Namine warned, standing between him and Alex.

"Look, I don't like to hit girls—well, except Larxene—but besides that, you weren't really fighter-oriented in kingdom hearts anyway, so you should probably step aside." Zack warned.

Namine just smiled and replied in a delicate voice, "Don't think you know what I'm capable of."

With one graceful motion of her hand, an invisible force seemed protrude out, sending Zack flying into the wall. I heard something snap as he hit it, then he landed on the floor with a painful thud.

"Ow, my arm...she hits hard, damn." Zack muttered.

"Zack, don't underestimate her!" Alex warned.

"Yeah Alex, I think I figured that out." He replied, grinning.

"Then why are you grinning?" Namine asked, smiling back.

"Because now we have a fair fight. I won't hold back. Sorry I underestimated you." Zack got on his feet, holding his broken arm.

Riku caught my attention again, taunting me. "So, why didn't you attack me? You had the perfect opportunity. Did something hold you back?"

"No…" I faltered, unable to meet him in the eyes.

"You're a bad liar, like Sora." He jeered.

A violent wrath welled up inside me. "Shut up! I'm not Sora! My name is Roxas! Damn it! Who's the girl? The girl with the auburn hair?" I asked.

Riku smiled, delight clear on his face. "It looks like Sora's doing some of the dirty work for me."

"Answer me!" I growled.

"If you want to find out, then you have to come with me." Riku said.

He smiled, putting his poised blade down. He outstretched his gloved hand to me, like some chivalrous gesture of friendship.

But why…why did it look so familiar?

That outstretched hand? That kind, but mischievous grin he wore?

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**Reviews Are Appreciated!**


	40. Chapter 39The Beginning of the End

**Jess' POV**

After the trouble with Larxene, I found myself waking up in someone's van, the metal floor cold beneath me. I heard a cacophony of sounds, beeping and trance-like radars.

I opened my eyes wearily. I was lying on my back. My body felt drained, warmth flooding through it. The transformation must've ended.

I felt something tugging at my arm—my wrist specifically. I looked down the length of my body, searching for the source. I thought I was dreaming.

There was a lot of machinery before me, on the dashboard and walls of the van. Everything was pulsing, just like Alex's lab…

Then, I saw it…someone with small metal instruments poking at my wrist, like I was some science experiment.

Then I realized…

Piercing green eyes, brown hair in a bold, short cut, thin lips…the secret agent lady! She looked about 25 years old.

I tugged my wrist away hard. She let out a surprised gasped and released me, as I sat up and retreated into the farthest corner—against the van doors.

I looked at the watch to make sure it was okay. No scratches.

"Who are you? What's going on?" I demanded.

"Hmph, that's great thanks for someone who just saved you from the police. But I wouldn't expect any politeness from a little wretch like you. What I want to know is everything concerning that mechanism on your wrist." She hissed, impatient.

"You didn't answer my question. Who are you?"

"None of your business. Now, tell me about the watch and its creator: your cousin…his name is Alex, right?" She grinned slightly manically.

Shocked, I asked "…How did you know about us?"

"I always do my research. Those stupid little firewalls and barriers he put up were clever, but he has no idea who he's dealing with. So, I'll give you two options." She pulled a gun out from behind her and aimed it directly at me, her fingers gripping the trigger.

"I know that someone very smart must have created that device on your wrist. I have one request…take me to the person who created it." She demanded, her green eyes slanted darkly.

"And if I decline?"

"Do I have to remind you that the transformation ended a while ago? The watch is on low power obviously. Besides, this gun is _no_ ordinary gun.

I designed it so that it pumps enough electricity to destabilize the human nervous system. Hmm, it'd be interesting to see how a few good shocks affected the watch's equilibrium…but since it's so intricately tied with your life force, I'm sure that it would kill you or permanently deform you at least." She replied, confidently.

For an outsider, she knew _a lot_ about us. Too much to ignore…

"Did you design all the tech in your van?" I asked, surveying the array of metal gadgets and buttons on the van's dashboard.

"That's beside the point! Make up your mind already!"

A long moment of silence preceded her words. Both of us were still, frozen in the unnerving silence. I wondered if I should say something or move, but I was afraid. Her eyes, cold and hard, didn't blink once.

Finally, I spoke, "Alright. I'll show you the way there."

She didn't put the gun down.

"Good choice. Get into the passenger's seat."

* * *

**Alex's POV**

"You're not tired yet, are you? You know, you look pretty cute when you're disoriented." Namine smiled, chuckling slightly.

"Not in the mood for fake compliments from the enemy. Plus, you're not my type." Zack replied.

Namine's smile waned, but her eyes turned emotionless again.

"I was being serious. Well, if that's the way you feel…maybe I should change your mind about me, hehe." She said in a low voice.

"What did you say?" Zack asked, perplexed.

"Zack, don't let her distract you!" I yelled in warning.

Namine smiled sincerely, unleashing a powerful gust from her hand!

Zack swerved to the side, dodging the blow as it collided with the wall. But Namine charged in front of Zack while he was distracted by her previous attack, another ball of gusty energy in her hand. She was about to unleash another attack, but Axel stepped in front of Zack just when Namine was closing in…and threw his fiery chakrams at her—successfully intercepting her.

A whirling sea of flames nearly overtook Namine, but she leapt a few feet back out of Axel's radius--a good enough distance away so the chakrams wouldn't hit her.

The chakrams swirled in the air, returning like a boomerang to Axel's outstretched hands.

"Go help Alex." Axel ordered Zack.

"But, this is my fight! I can take her." Zack countered.

"Yeah, let Zack fight." Namine added in a low, sultry voice.

"Axel—" Zack attempted, but he was cut off.

"This isn't a childish game, don't let her trick you! Remember what she's after! You're wearing the watch too, and your arm is broken. If you enter this fight as you are now, it's guaranteed that you won't win. You'd just be a hindrance to the rest of us."

Zack was speechless, his eyes wide in shock at the meaning of Axel's words. He clenched his fists, eyes downcast.

"Hmph, what makes you so sure that I'll let Zack get past me?" Namine demanded.

Suddenly, Axel appeared a few feet closer to Namine, closing the large gap between them. Namine's cool, calculated façade fell slightly, as Axel smirked, once again launching his chakrams and ribbons of flame. This time the trajectory was nearly perfect, as one of the chakrams pierced her shoulder. A drop of blood fell from the gash as she winced.

The chakrams returned to Axel, as Namine fell back, retreating slightly against the wall.

"Ha, you're a worse fighter than Vexen. I'll end that cocky attitude of yours, and teach you a real lesson about fighting. So pay attention, you got it?"

Then, Axel motioned to Zack, "Kid, you know what to do…Kid!!"

Zack took a few seconds to react, his eyes slightly glazed over in contemplation. However, it was only for a fleeting moment.

"I'm not a kid!!!!" Zack growled hostilely.

He ran over to me, morphing the fingers of his right hand into jagged porcupine spikes. He began severing the sturdy rope that bound my hands behind the chair.

"I'm gonna get revenge on that cocky bastard someday…" Zack grumbled.

My attention turned to Roxas.

"So, what's your choice _Nobody_? Will you continue to fight against the inevitable, or answer Sora's call?"

Roxas' eye twitched. The fury in his eyes was clear and intense, like a bright, persistent flame.

"My name is Roxas. _I'm_ Roxas! What will it take to prove that to you?" He growled, aiming the key-blade at Riku's chest.

"Attack me with that blade…and I'll tell you who you are!" Riku smiled at his threat.

Roxas growled as he did a thrusting attack, lunging directly at Riku, his eyes menacing. But Riku fended it off. Roxas didn't stop there though, unleashing a series of blows, but none of them landed, as Riku skillfully blocked them.

"Ha! I've never felt Sora so alive!" Riku laughed.

* * *

**Becky's POV**

"I wonder how everyone's doing. I can't believe they left me here to deal with everything…I'm not a maid!" I thought aloud.

The clock read 6:00pm. The day was almost over…

Suddenly, I heard the chiming of the doorbell reverberate throughout the house.

Panic spread through me, "Oh no! What if it's my parents? Or, worse yet, Jess' parents? Should I answer it?" I wondered, fearful to even take one step up the stairs.

Then, I heard Jess' voice.

It sounded sluggish, each word sounded out slowly, carefully. "Zack…open the door…! It's me… Jess."

_Oh!_

I ran up the stairs, a wave of relief settling over me. It was only Jess—nothing to worry about.

I ascended the basement stairs, beaming as I finally reached the front door and opened it…

Jess' face was pale, her eyes averted to the floor.

In the background, red hues slithered out from the retreating sun, leaving the silent sky painted a brusque, crimson color in its wake. A shadow extended out over the house, like a hand of darkness outstretched to consume it.

She stood beside a woman, all dressed in black. The woman I'd seen before.

Her towering slender frame appeared ominous, like the shadow that was cast over the house.

Her beady green eyes fixed on me, and her mouth worked upwards into some kind of amused, half-smile.

"Becky, I presume? What a pleasure to meet you again."


	41. Chapter 40

**Zack's POV**

Alex let out a sigh of relief as I loosened the last, tight rope. "Good job Zack, now let's shut down those watches!"

Roxas was still fighting Riku. Axel dodged Namine's gusty strike, and sent her hurdling back against the wall.

"Oww! What about going easy on girls?" She muttered.

"Hey, an enemy is an enemy regardless. What's wrong? If fighting is so hard, then give up." Axel replied.

Alex turned to me and said, "Alright, I'll use a program to corrupt the watches now. After this, they shouldn't be usable!"

Alex began typing furiously away at the computer. A program popped up on the computer's screen.

It read:

**_Degeneration Program _**

A countdown began from 20 seconds.

"Hey, are you guys planning on a way to get home yet? I'm getting pretty bored over here." Axel yawned as he simultaneously ducked, avoiding an energy blast unleashed by Namine.

Her brows furrowed in frustration at his apparent apathy.

"Yeah Axel, I'm activating a portal now to get us back into the real world! It'll take about another 15 seconds though, so keep Namine busy!" Alex said.

"Ha…this is too easy…" Axel muttered, as he launched both chakrams at Namine, winding ribbons of flames weaving in the air.

My attention turned to Roxas' battle.

Suddenly, a flash of darkness eclipsed Riku. When the darkness evaporated, it revealed Riku on his knees, groaning in agony as he held his side.

Tyler walked out from behind Riku's hunched form, smirking.

"You didn't let us finish our duel. I don't like interruptions, so stay put for a while." With one wave of his hand, Tyler enclosed Riku in a box-like prison with invisible walls.

Another key-blade materialized in his hand—he had two!

"Xehanhort and I made a deal!" Riku argued.

Tyler ignored him and turned his icy glare to Roxas.

"Only 5 more seconds for the portal to open!" Alex yelled.

Tyler grunted as he threw his key-blade at Roxas, but Roxas deflected it with his own. The deflected blade went swerving off to the side, careening to land between me and Alex!

It almost sliced my toe! "Hey, you two nearly killed us!" I yelled.

The comment was ignored as Tyler charged at Roxas, their blades met in a successive strike. Now they were exactly one on one, their blades shaped like an X.

Tyler taunted him, "You're not making it out of here Roxas."

Roxas replied, "What about your parents? What about your friends? The people who care about you?"

"That's none of your business." Tyler replied curtly.

The final message appeared on the computer screen:

**_Degeneration COMPLETE_**

Suddenly, a cloud of darkness appeared--the ebony portal that would lead to home.

"Axel! Roxas!" I alerted.

Roxas looked over for a second in acknowledgement, before parrying one of Tyler's blows.

"Got it." Axel replied, pushing Namine back against the wall forcefully. She hit her head and slid down the wall, unconscious.

"I'll see you on the other side." Alex said, as he stepped through the portal.

I was about to enter, but hesitated—Tyler and Roxas didn't look like they were stopping anytime soon.

Axel put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly, "It's ok. He'll make it through. Remember, we have to see if the girls are okay. I'm sure a lot has happened in town."

I wasn't sure what to do, but the look in Axel's eyes…his sense of confidence and wisdom, quieted my doubts. Besides, if Larxene hadn't been stopped, if Jess hadn't succeeded and Becky somehow got involved, who knew what was waiting for us back home.

I yelled back at Roxas, "The portal's not open forever you know! Let's go Axel."

We ventured through the black smoke, for the first time, oblivious to the world and the future on the other side.

* * *

**Roxas' POV**

My footwork had diminished since our last battle. I found myself struggling to keep up with him. He was fast and his attacks were even swifter.

I parried another one of his attacks and attempted a straight blow to his chest, but he jumped out of my radius before I could touch him.

Once again, I tried to shake his resolve, "If you give up on your past life, there's no turning back. You'll have no one. No friends or family. Is this your choice?"

Then, he chuckled, like it was the simplest thing in the world, "…You don't understand anything. My parents and my friends…there was nothing real about them. At least with this key-blade, I can shape my own destiny. I can make everything I desire real. Anyone who stands in my way will disappear."

I heard a winding sound, like something swinging through the air. Confused, I looked up to see what it was, but it was too late. The hilt of Tyler's key-blade—the one I'd deflected before-- struck my head.

I landed on the ground. Drops of blood fell from the wound, forming an ever-growing puddle on the floor. Damn it, I knew that if I had focused I would've been able to avoid it.

The pain came after the impact, radiating with stinging, flaring heat.

I was battered by another memory at that moment, as my head flared painfully.

"_It's my lucky charm, so promise you'll bring it back to me!" _

_The girl's voice was soft and chiding. But I heard the urgency in it, the desperation to somehow keep me from something…something that threatened to destroy everything we knew and loved._

As I withdrew from the eerie nostalgia, Tyler's voice broke through the haze.

"Maybe you should think about your own destiny. No…actually I have a better idea. Why don't I decide for you, right here and now? It looks like there's only two choices really...death or Sora?"

* * *

**Jess' POV**

Lena—as we discovered was her name—forced us to show her the basement. As soon as we descended the stairs, a black vortex appeared. Alex and Zack stepped out, sighing in relief.

But their relief was short-lived. Their eyes widened when they spotted Lena's malicious, curious gaze.

The room grew silent, awkward.

Zack was the first to speak, shaking his head in disbelief, "Whoa, what's the she-devil doing here?"

Lena barked back, "My name is Lena! Anyway, where did that portal come from?"

She curiously walked up to it to touch it, but Alex immediately blocked her path.

Alex grinned nervously, "Um…HA! It's fake! I learned how to do this in my Special Effects class! It's just a 3D projection! Like the movies, except you don't need 3D glasses!"

Lena pushed the 11 year old aside like he hadn't even spoken, and touched it. Some of the darkness stuck to her finger, and then dissipated like steam.

She replied, "And you're the genius?"

Axel stepped out of the portal just then, surprising Lena. When he saw her, one of his brows rose up, like he was confused.

"So who invited ugly?" He asked, pointing at her face. Becky and I looked at each other and snickered.

Lena's face turned bright red as she clenched her fists angrily, "At least my hair's not white!"

A hint of annoyance crossed Axel's face, "At least I'm not a stalker."

As Axel and Lena stared coldly at one another, I asked Zack, "Where's Roxas?"

"He's still back there fighting Tyler." He replied.

Worry surged through me. The emotion was so overwhelming my heart pounded with it. I imagined the danger he could be in, and how he had saved me numerous times before. What if he needed help? What if Tyler…

I headed for the portal, when Axel grabbed my arm.

"Don't be impulsive." He warned. His grip was firm.

"But Tyler is a real-worlder too, this is our battle too!" I argued.

"Men have to fight their own battles." Axel replied.

I shrugged out of his grip, resisting him, "When you have friends that care about you, you're never fighting alone!"

I sprinted into the torrents of darkness, running after a dream…even if it was meant to fail.

* * *

**Roxas' POV**

I dodged Tyler's attack, but barely. His blade swiftly grazed an inch off my hair.

I couldn't focus. I couldn't help but imagine Sora.

Locked up in some faraway place…sleeping, frozen in time.

An all-powerful darkness emanated from Tyler's blade, ribbons of blackness stretching off towards the ceiling, as if trying to reach for the heavens.

The room itself became blacker somehow. The light eclipsed by Tyler's sword and his form, glowing an ominous black.

I knew my limits. For the first time, I felt like I had limits.

Maybe they were all right. The darkness was inescapable. Without Sora I wasn't strong enough. If Sora was my true nature…eventually my origins would come back to claim me, no matter what happened.

My mind was so distant that I didn't notice Tyler's attack coming, until I heard an ear-splitting screech as darkness surged against the floor--heading in my direction.

It was too late to dodge it. I had accepted that the end had finally come.

I was about to embrace death.

I closed my eyes, thinking of the auburn-haired girl's face. The girl that liked Sora. The girl I'd never met.

In my mind, she was smiling warmly at me, waving goodbye…when suddenly, the features of another girl took her place. A girl with wavy chestnut hair and brown eyes.

She had the same warm face, round cheeks, and full pink lips…

The same hopeful smile, and the same worried look in her eyes.

I liked that smile more. I liked her.

The ear-splitting screech stopped. It was alarming; the absence of pain confused me.

I wondered if I was dead.

I opened my eyes to see a towering, glassy wall of ice, and that familiar girl standing in front of me, between me and the wall.

I couldn't believe it at first. I couldn't believe that she was there, fighting for me. That I had someone fighting for me.

Awestruck, I asked, "Jess…what are you doing here? What about Larxene and the town?"

She smiled back at me. That familiar, lovely smile. "That's pretty much taken care of, and besides, it looks like you needed help."

The wall of ice, which had been fragmented by the blow, shattered into droplets of water.

Tyler smirked, "Look Jess, I didn't want to hurt you, but you shouldn't have gotten involved!"

Jess' watch starting beeping—low power.

Tyler smirked and sprinted over, closing the gap between us quickly, about to perform a thrusting attack.

The first thing I felt: _panic._ _Jess was still between Tyler and I._ Then, an unfamiliar surge of strength: _protect her. I could think about the memories and my pain later._

I rose to my feet and swung Jess around, positioning myself between Tyler and her. I summoned the key-blade that I'd dropped before, and launched myself at Tyler. His eyes widened in surprise as I intercepted his thrust. Next, he tried to bring the second key-blade down in a vertical slash. But I parried it, then horizontally slashed at his stomach. He fell back, holding his stomach as the blood began to sully his clothes.

Jess joined my side, looking at me then Tyler.

He grunted in pain, talking to Jess, "I honestly don't understand why you protect him. Don't you know he's going to disappear someday?"

She looked at me, certainty in her eyes, and replied, "As long as he has my family and me, I know he won't be disappearing anytime soon. Maybe you should be more concerned about yourself right now."

Then, smiling the warm smile I'd just seen in my memory, she said, "Let's head home."

That word…Home.

Home sounded great. I nodded, replying, "Yeah, let's go."

Her words echoed in my head with permanence and clarity. Finally, the haze seemed to lift, and the burden of nostalgia became lighter.

I had a home. I had friends waiting for me.

This realization gave me a sense of purpose. As long as I had them, I could keep myself somehow. I wouldn't have to forfeit my life to destiny.

I remembered Jess' warm smile…the smile that had kept me in place, the smile that was just for me. I promised myself right then and there, that to remain a part of their world…to remain myself, I would protect that naïve, light-hearted smile no matter what.


	42. Chapter 41

**Jess' POV**

By the time the whole ordeal was done, it was 11:00pm at night. Lena, surprisingly turned out to be helpful, having been a doctor before she became a psycho, UFO believer. She treated Roxas' wound, and created a stable cast for Zack's arm out of some rods and things we had lying around the house. I offered to repay her somehow, but what she was intent on saying that she wanted to learn more about Alex's experiments—as a repayment. We all gathered in the living room, Alex, Lena, and Axel sat on the couch, while Roxas, Becky, Zack, and I sat on the floor.

"Why don't we take a break to think things over?" Alex offered.

"Sounds great to me, I've wanted to relax for a while!" Axel agreed.

My stomach grumbled slightly, I blushed in embarrassment. But it didn't last long; soon a few other murmuring stomachs could be heard. It was clear that we were all starving.

Becky smiled cheerily and rose from her seat, "I'll go make some omelets for all of us! My mom taught me this great recipe the other day! How does a cheese omelet sound?"

Everyone let out sighs and nods of approvals, as Becky gleefully skipped over to the kitchen and began raiding the cabinets and fridge for pots and spices.

Axel snatched the remote off the coffee table before Lena could get it—she let out a gruff snarl as he grinned evilly—and turned on the TV, searching the channels for something interesting to watch.

In the background, I heard Lena scold Axel, "You don't even know what you're looking for, you idiot!"

Axel rebutted, "You're the annoying one…"

"I'm going to go work on a few more things in the lab." Alex said, about to head towards the basement stairs.

Lena shot up from the couch, nearly scaring Axel, "I'm coming with you."

"Yeah, please take this ugly girl away! She's distracting me from the TV." Axel smirked, enjoying his ridicule.

Lena fumed, "How arrogant!"

"Settle down you two. Lena, if you're coming, follow me." Alex gestured to Lena, as he started to descend the basement stairs.

Zack sighed and mumbled, "I'm gonna go up to my room…call me down when breakfast is ready."

Zack didn't seem like his usual, laid back self. But I didn't even have enough time to look at him to see if he was alright. He quickly turned away from us and trudged up the stairs slower than normal, slipping into his room quietly. I debated whether or not I should go see if Zack was okay, deciding to consult Roxas.

"Zack seems a little strange. Did anything happen during the battle?" I asked, concerned.

But Roxas didn't seem like his usual, helpful self either. He stared at the floor for a while—like he was thinking deeply about something.

He didn't even hear my question.

I nudged his shoulder slightly, and he turned to me absently, as if awaken from a dream.

"Sorry, what was that about Zack? I'm a little tired, that's all. Ha, I guess this battle wore me out too." Roxas replied, sounding weary.

Now I was wondering whether or not I needed to talk to both of them!

"What happened to Zack during the battle? He seems a little sad."

"Well, I know that Zack and Axel were talking about something…but I was too focused on Riku. I might've missed something. But, whatever it is, I'm sure he'll be fine." Roxas smiled.

It was _so_ obvious that something was not right here.

After a few moments of watching Axel doze off on the couch, hearing Alex murmur and the shuffle of things in the basement, and smelling the mouthwatering aroma of eggs sizzling in a pan, Roxas spoke.

"Hey, I'm going to go upstairs to the attic to get some sleep. Could you let me know when breakfast is ready?"

"Sure. Get some rest." I nodded.

He retreated into Alex's room silently, vanishing like a ghost.

"Those two have been acting weird ever since we got back." Axel said, suddenly appearing by my side.

Scared a bit, I jumped away from him, "Weren't you just sleeping…on the couch?"

Axel did a weird half-smile, "Pretending to sleep. Roxas and your brother look like zombies. I can't help it if your bro is mad about what I said. It _was_ true."

"What did you say to Zack?" I asked.

Out of nowhere Becky intervened, carrying two plates of fresh cheese omelet, "It's ok Jess, I'll talk to Zack. Here, take these two plates. You and Roxas can eat upstairs. Now go."

She put the plates into my hands and pushed me towards the stairs…

"Wait Becky, what about the others?" I replied nervously.

"Everyone else's plate is on the table. Axel, go tell Lena and Alex. Plus, I'll put two cups of OJ on Alex's nightstand just in case you two get thirsty. It's a trip to have to come back down." She grinned--the way a good friend grins when they're trying to relay some deeper understanding.

I knew exactly what that comforting, encouraging grin meant.

Axel shook his head, "What am I, your maid?"

* * *

After slowly working my way up the ladder, making sure I was careful with the warm plates, I finally made it into the attic.

Roxas' eyes were closed, his resting form cushioned under a layer of thick, blue covers. His old clothes were stacked beside the bed. He was wearing the pajamas Zack had lent him, a loose navy t-shirt and baggy shorts. I put the plates on the floor and lightly tread over to Roxas, curiously kneeling beside the bed.

With his eyes shut, lost in total sleep, his face appeared calm and expressionless.

I didn't want to wake him, so I sat there for a few seconds, not sure what to do.

Should I stay there and watch him sleep? The idea seemed weird in the long-run. He could think I was a stalker or something.

I was about to get up and leave him, when he started muttering suddenly.

"Kairi…it wasn't my fault…Riku, I wanted to save him…" He muttered.

_Kairi…but why is he thinking about her? Is there something he's not telling me?_

He shuffled in his sleep, moving towards the wall, then facing the ceiling. I got up and knelt over him.

He continued his unconscious muttering, "…Kairi, I promised."

I imagined Kairi in all her perfection—sleek auburn hair, baby pink lips, and crystal violet eyes, lovingly watching over Sora…lovingly watching over Roxas…

My heart skipped a beat, and I suddenly felt the urge to cry…when Roxas' eyes popped open.

Shocked, I stepped back. He sat up too, also shocked.

I'm not sure how my face looked exactly, but his expression looked curious and careful. We gazed at one another for a while in wordless silence. It was suffocating, I looked away.

I suddenly felt the urge to leave.

I took a deep breath and gushed anxiously, "I just wanted to bring you your food! Here's the omelet Becky made, and I'm sure it's delicious. Well, come down when you feel like it!" I put the plate on the floor in front of the bed, and swiveled around to walk out, when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder, steadying me in place.

"A while ago, during those first few days we met, and just now, you told me I have a choice. I didn't believe you at first. I thought that because I was a Nobody, I could never really be free. But now I have my own life and a home, in the real world. I guess, what I'm trying to say…is thanks…" He said.

"Roxas…is everything alright?" I asked.

I turned to face him, and he smiled at me. A warm, convincing smile.

"What about what Tyler said? About disappearing? Are Sora's memories, coming back to you?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm remembering Sora's memories, but as long as I have my friends, I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. So, it's alright, you don't have to worry."

I wondered if I should question him further, but decided it'd probably be better if we talked about it when he wasn't tired.

Nodding, I said, "Ok, let's eat then. Before the food gets too cold."


	43. Chapter 42

**PLEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER! I TAKE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FEEDBACK! THANK YOU ~~NOIR 2107**

**

* * *

Becky's POV**

After I finished up in the kitchen, I went upstairs to give Zack the omelet I'd made.

I knocked on the door, and heard, "Who is it?" His voice was coarse.

"It's me, Becky! I brought your omelet." I said.

"OK, come in." He muttered.

I went inside and found him lying on the bed with one arm behind his head, the other, broken arm cradled in the cast at his side. He was staring at the ceiling as if he were concentrating on something very intensely.

He was silent as I stood over him. It became clear that Zack wasn't his usual self. Something was on his mind.

I sat the warm plate of food on the nightstand beside his bed. He shifted slightly to his side, turning away from me.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Nothing." He said.

"Did Jess or Alex say something mean to you?"

"No."

"Then, what's up with you? Are you not hungry? If you don't want to eat, I can just give it to someone else. You shouldn't waste food."

He shot up, with an annoyed expression on his face, "It's not my stomach, ok? It's Axel, I'm freakin' pissed at Axel! Now can you just give me the omelet already, I'm starving!"

I replied with a menacing glare, "Well, if you're going to talk to me like that, you can forget about eating."

I turned to walk out, when his apologetic voice coaxed me back in.

"Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you like that! I've just been in a bad mood since we got back. I didn't really want to talk to anyone, so I came up here, so I can be alone."

_So, he's just apologizing for being a cranky baby._

I turned back to him, smiling. A dumbfounded look came across his face, like he didn't know what was going on.

I laughed, "When I asked you the first time, all you had to do was tell me what you just said! Geez…guys are so weird."

He smiled too, but after a second or two, his face returned to the sullen, serious expression he had before.

I stopped laughing when I sensed his quick change in mood and said, "Talk to me Zack. What's really wrong?"

He sighed, and muttered, "What if Axel was right? What if…I'm too weak?"

There was silence for a moment as I paused to consider my words.

Then, I spoke, "What did Axel say?"

"During the battle, Namine had broken my arm," He patted his left arm as he said it, "and I wanted to keep fighting, but Axel treated me like…a kid.

If Axel wasn't there, and it was just Roxas and I…then I wouldn't have been able to do anything. I don't want to rely on others all the time. I don't want to be weak." He whimpered.

Beyond the cozy warmth of the house, a few flakes of snow sprinkled to the ground quietly. The wind howled softly, as a few rays of light from the moon broke through a gap in the clouds.

Zack stared out into the empty darkness, as if he were searching for the answer in those clustered, gray clouds outside.

His brows knitted together as he sighed and said, "Is it going to be this way forever? What if I don't get stronger and I'm just a burden?"

I gave him a small smile, "If you want something then go for it. No matter how hard it is. Sitting here moping about it isn't going to change anything." I offered.

"But what if I don't succeed?" He asked.

"Everyone's afraid of failing, but you'll never know unless you try. Anyone can get better at something if they put work into it. Maybe you should get some training. Axel can help you even…"

I started regretting my words when his face turned sour at the mention of Axel, so I quickly added, "Or Roxas!"

He let out another stressed sigh, "Alright, I guess training is a good idea. I'll talk to Roxas about it tonight."

_I wanted to help him more, but I honestly couldn't relate like Jess or Alex may have been able to..._

_I'd already decided what I wanted-that my life was here…on Earth. I wondered if my life would be as exciting as theirs if I went to the virtual world, and if I was wasting my time by staying here._

_A part of me envied them at first…for being able to fearlessly pursue their ambitions. But that's when I realized, that I have my own ambitions to pursue. I have my own dreams and responsibilities—just like them. The only difference was that those dreams and responsibilities were here on Earth. Plus, I didn't want to leave home. Home was a place of comfort and stability for me._

_For some reason, a grave sadness swallowed me at that moment, like I knew that their paths would eventually lead them away from me…like I had to say goodbye now before it was too late. Because deep down I knew that, wherever they were going, chances were I would not follow. _

_I was sad, and yet somehow felt immense relief…because I knew they would come back someday. Because they'd always be the greatest friends I'd ever had, and I'd hold them in my heart for that._

As though out of nowhere, a playful smile appeared on Zack's face, "How are you so upbeat all the time? If I was positive all the time, I think I'd puke or something."

"Wow. Thanks, so you're saying you're sick of me?" I chuckled.

Zack smiled and held his warm gaze on me for a second. I wondered if he was trying to tell me something.

In a voice I could barely hear, he whispered, "I could never get sick of you."

After he said it, a look of awareness dawned on his face, like he realized he'd just confided something in me he wasn't supposed to.

He looked away from me and got up from the bed to stand by the window. Frost had collected on the glass in intricate crystals, and snowflakes continued to fall slowly, as if unwilling.

Patting his broken left arm with his right hand he replied, "Um…Thanks...for you know, checking on me."

I nodded, adding, "That's what friends are for."

* * *

**Alex's POV**

A typed a few codes into a Defense program I created on my computer—codes that would further stabilize the many firewalls protecting my computer and the watches.

As I thought more and more about the Organization and our possible, upcoming battles, a grim realization occurred to me.

Lena hovered over me with excited, wide eyes, an approving look on her face.

"I have to give you credit. You know your stuff, kid." Lena commended.

Axel suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs, "Don't lift his ego any higher than it is. If we're going back to the virtual world, we're going to need 'real' protection—a few firewalls won't save anyone."

Lena rolled her eyes, "This is a gathering for elite minds only. Can you please leave?"

"That face is enough to make anyone want to leave a room, trust me." Axel gagged.

Lena hissed back, "Of course, the guy with white hair from another dimension wants to tell me I'm a freak!"

"You only pick on me because you're dissatisfied with yourself."

"I'll have you know—"

I interrupted her, "Stop arguing like children! Look, I have bad news. Now, if you both decide to start acting like adults, I'll tell you!"

Axel and Lena stared at one another, vexed expressions on their faces, but straightened up.

I began, "My analysis of our possible choices and their outcomes has revealed to me that staying here is completely futile. The Organization will continue their attempts to infiltrate this world, as long as the watches and all of us are here.

We've gotten lucky up until now. But eventually they'll get lucky too. Staying here is not an option anymore…especially if they're after us.

Do you understand what I'm saying?" I finished.

Axel nodded and stepped toward me, putting his hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

Lena's expression turned from contemplation to worry, "But, you have a life here. What about your parents? What about your school and your friends? What about your dreams? I don't really have anything here for me, but you'll be leaving all of that behind.

Are you…ready for that?"

I paused for a second, her words sinking in.

_Sure, I did go to school and have a few friends here. But not like Jess and Zack, who'd grown up in the suburbs their whole life. Unlike them, from the time I was born it seemed-I was accustomed to the life of a drifter…the constant bustle of movement, new beginnings, and endings that got less and less sad each time._

_My parents were never complacent with just standing still. Most of my childhood had been spent in multiple countries anyway: Germany, France, India (and a short stint in Japan). The only reason they decided to come to upstate New York, was because they wanted to slow down and establish roots, in hopes I could befriend kids my age._

_However, I was still the new kid, so I knew that it would be easier to detach myself and move on._

_Sure, I'd miss my Mom and Dad._

_I was still debating whether or not to explain our dilemma to them or just cover it up._

_But even though I knew that I would miss my parents a lot…I really truly wanted to pursue my work as a scientist and an explorer!_

_On that note, leaving would be inevitable._

_To discover new things and stand on the threshold of change, I would have to carve my own path and not fear the unknown. And even though I was scared, this realization comforted me…the realization that I would have my work, and that I could continue and indulge in it-comforted me. It sounded selfish really, like I was just going to the virtual world for myself. But I was glad that my scientific pursuits coincided with saving the world—it gave me all the more reason to go after them._

So when Lena cocked her brow and waited for my response, I simply said, "We might as well go to them before they come to us. I want to learn more about the virtual world, and I'm ready for the change."

Lena's eyes became warm and she smiled, "You'll be a great scientist someday Alex, and I'll help you get there. As long as I don't have to be with this white-haired fool over here."

Axel frowned but didn't retaliate this time.

* * *

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	44. Chapter 43

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* * *

"Roxas, what are you doing here? It's so late."

The clock read 12:00am. He smoothly maneuvered through my open window. I closed it immediately—trying to keep the cold air out.

"I have to tell you something." He wore nothing on top-his bare chest lean, with only slacks on the bottom. He smiled at me but I looked away, for fear I might have drooled on myself.

He chuckled slightly, "Do you want me to put a shirt on or something?"

I stuttered, "N-n-n-no, you're perfect... I mean, it's okay." I sighed and sat down on my bed, and he followed suit.

Somehow…the guy I had doubted earlier was sitting beside me in all his bare-chested glory, his eyes roving my face tenderly, while I sheepishly but futilely looked away.

"Jess, I have to tell you something. I can't stop my memories of Sora and Kairi from coming back to me."

My fingers tensed, clutching the sheets, "But you'll still be human, right? So it'll be okay." He sighed and stood up, peering down at me with cold, glassy blue eyes.

"Jess, we can't be together. Sora still loves Kairi, and I love Kairi too. We can't be anything more than friends. I'm sorry." My eyes became watery against my will. As my throat hardened, a guilty look came across his face.

"Jess, I never really liked you like that… I'm sorry."

The words, "I never really like you…" echoed in my mouth opened, like haphazardly flexing a muscle, but no words came out. After what seemed like an eternity, an awkward chuckle escaped from me, "I didn't know you felt that way. I guess, it's better that you told me."

He cocked his head to the side, "Are you okay?"

I nodded really hard—maybe a little too hard-and ushered him back to the window. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! You should go back to Alex's house. It's really late."

He stopped short, and spun around to face me, "Wait, one more thing."

"What's wrong?"

He put both hands on my shoulders, "Kiss me."_ What the flip? _The guy who just rejected me is now asking to kiss me?

I shrugged off his hands, "I can't."

Suddenly a beeping noise went off, and Roxas was swallowed up by a black mist. I gasped and stumbled backward, nearly knocking over my night lamp. The boy before me now was not Roxas. A tailored black cloak, coolly disheveled brown hair, and brown eyes…

"Just like old times, right Jess?" Tyler grinned.

_Tyler? _He tricked me! I had to turn on my watch right away! "What are you doing here?" He waved his hand.

"I'm not here to wage war."

"Then, why are you here?"

He smirked, "Awww, are you gonna cry? Is it because Roxas said all those mean things to you?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

He shook his head, "Whether you want to accept it or not, he's going to drift away to you. But contrary to popular belief, I'm not here to promote myself today. I have a favor to ask."

He unveiled an envelope from his sleeve. It was addressed to his parents. "They've been really worried about me." He muttered.

I looked between him and the envelope, "Why can't you just bring it yourself? Or put it in the mailbox?"

He chuckled, "Have you seen their mailbox? And, I don't want anybody to see me like this. Don't worry. It's not a trap. I don't even care if you open and read it, but keep it to yourself."

"….Alright, fine." I rolled my eyes.

He nestled into my desk chair and threw his head back leisurely, "Man, I could get used to this."

"Well, don't." I snapped.

"Why do you hate me so much?" He leaned forward, staring at me.

Why did I hate him so much? Oh yeah, because he was a _rapist,_ he _kidnapped_ me, and _forced _me to like him against my will. What's there to like?

But as he looked at me now, his eyes had a softness that I had never seen before. The smirk and the jest in his tone had all but faded as he got up and stood before me. The Tyler Perris I had known and seen before…it was like he had vanished-vanished like the black mist. Maybe I was dreaming right now. Maybe I was just imagining that I saw some kind of softness and goodness in his eyes. But as he put his hands on my shoulders, and slowly drew towards my lips, I couldn't help but hope and try to believe that this was right. Even though, in all honestly, deep down it felt wrong to be close to him like this. It felt all wrong…because I knew who he had been, who he was…and I wanted to keep it that way. I wanted to keep hating him. Keep him at a distance. Boundaries are always easier to discern from a distance.

We were almost nose to nose. His brown eyes unblinkingly bore into mine. His mouth was moist and pink, like the inside of a ripened plum. He peered at me through heavy lids, and I found myself leaning closer to him…

Suddenly, his watch started beeping again, and he froze, but didn't withdraw from me. I was startled back into reality, and with it, surfaced all my fears and inhibitions. _This isn't right, _the voice within me said.

"Should I move?" He whispered.

"Yes, you should go." I whispered back. I wanted him to go, but I wanted to pretend too…pretend that something really could've happened at that moment.

"Damn it." He withdrew from me, and gave me one last lingering smile before disappearing into the black mist.

After that, I sat on my bed and stared up at the ceiling for a long time, trying to decipher what just happened...


End file.
